


Til Human Voices Wake Us

by SllnaaEsh



Category: Lost Girl
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-05
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2017-12-22 13:38:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/913827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SllnaaEsh/pseuds/SllnaaEsh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lauren is just too human, too fragile, and no longer what Bo thinks she needs. One Valkyrie unwillingly falls in love with that very same human, and finds that maybe humanity is worth living for, even if her time span is running out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter deals with Bo's feelings, but this story will be largely around Lauren and Tamsin. I just wanted you to see some of the end of doccubus with Bo's eye. The rest will be CopDoc. This will be semi-slow paced. 
> 
> Canon until the beginning of the third season- kind of. Kenzi didn't get taken by the Kitsune.
> 
> M for later chapters.
> 
> Disclaimer: I just am a puppeteer. I own nothing. Mistakes are my own :(

 

* * *

When Bo learned of Dyson's love returning, she felt her stomach clench in agony. The knowledge that her love with Dyson had another chance to rekindle its flame was bittersweet. Losing love the first time around had been painful enough; she didn't want to lose it twice, and this time it would be Lauren's love.

As a succubus, a part of her felt uneasy and limited to have one mate for the rest of her very long life. It didn't help that Dyson was restricting and had the temper of a petulant child. He was possessive, and his jealousy levels were off-putting.

And Lauren?

Lauren was compassionate and understanding. And  _so very_  human. She  _would_ grow old and die long before Bo would start to show any signs of aging. The thought of living without her beautiful, blonde girlfriend pulled her stomach yet into another knot. However, she loved Lauren, and Lauren loved with such fiery passion often matching the succubus' own. This is why she felt a comfortable blanket around her at her try at a monogamous relationship with Lauren.

The Dal was practically dead this night; only a few of the regulars were scattered about the establishment with their Fae spirits. The occasional human would walk in, both lost and confused, causing a mind manipulator to wipe their memories before sending them on their way. The dim lighting created a comfortable ambiance, and the Celtic music was soothing. Trick insisted on it.

Bo snorted into her drink when she thought about Leprechauns when an Uillean pipe started into a song. She curiously craned her head toward the music and chuckled to herself when she recalled the first time she met the first Ash. She remembered making a quip about bagpipes and haggis when asked for her Clan name. She thinks the uillean pipe sounds better than bagpipes- more magical.

Bo sighed and looked at the time on her phone. Dyson was late. Usually, it was she who made a late appearance. The wolf had requested a talk. The way he asked made her nervous; he sounded serious, and his eyes held a tinge of hope and a little bit of sadness.

The cellphone in her hand started buzzing, and the caller ID displayed Lauren's number across the screen.

"Lauren, Hey. I thought you had the warehouse Fae fire victims to take care of tonight." Bo's voice wavered a little, as she wasn't expecting a phone call from her lover for another few hours.

"I was. I am. I'm just waiting for the results to come through on a few tests." She heard Lauren sigh into the phone and she noted the playful undertones as she continued. "I missed you. You know, you didn't kiss me goodbye this morning."

The succubus frowned and searched her mind for a reason why she forgot. She really did forget, and that was disturbing. She kissed Lauren every morning, often too much and too passionately.

"I'm sorry, Lauren. I must have been really out of it this morning. You know me and my hate for the early mornings," Bo offered.

"Well, you can make it up to me later. I am sorry, but I have to go. The results are just now printing. I love you, Bo."

"Yeah. Love you, too."

Short conversations with Lauren were common, much to Bo's discontent. The Ash and whatever Fae business had held high priority over everything else. It was something Bo hated -not being first.

She frowned again as she tucked her phone into her pocket. Leather, as usual.

"Hello, Bo."

The gravely voice brought a smile to her face. It always did. She lifted her head and looked at her first love. He had a small cut on his eyebrow that had a little blood clotted into it.

"Dyson." She breathed. "You are late, mister."

"Yeah, well. Cop business and all that." Dyson held up a finger to Trick, gesturing for a house Fae ale. "Sorry I'm late. Thank you for coming."

The succubus nodded. "I can't stay long. I'm meant to help Kenzi with a few important things."

She was really just going clubbing at a new hot spot Kenzi spotted a few days prior.

"So, are you gonna tell me what this is about, Dyson?"

The wolf shifter took two large gulps of his ale and turned to face the love of his life, his mate.

"It's about us, Bo." The succubus swallowed. She felt her stomach squeeze itself again, threatening the possibility of upward movement of bile.

"There is no us, Dyson."

"There's  _always_ an us," he said softly. "You are my mate. You're meant to be by my side, not with some  _human_."

A wave of annoyance and anger found place within Bo as she hissed, "We are not having this talk again. I am with Lauren. Our time has passed. And stop saying 'humans' like that."

"But I can do  _this_  now. I have my love back. Bo, I can give you what you need."

"And what is that, Dyson?"

"A family. A long life.. I can give you everything."

Those words coming out of his mouth, where she first felt fireworks at their first kiss (and every kiss thereafter), had been all she wanted to hear. But, then he had left. He had left and disappeared for weeks on end with no phone call, no note. Just nothing.

Having enough of the conversation, Bo took her bag and walked toward the exit. "We're done here."

"Think about it, Bo. You belong with me. You know it. You can feel it, too."

Bo's head swirled with  _decisions_  and  _indecisions_  and  _could haves_ and  _might have beens as_ she walked in the dead of the night, her heels clicking solidly against the ground. She didn't even notice she was almost stomping toward her car. She was too confused, too frustrated. A part of her hoped for some clarity when she talked to Dyson. She wasn't as dense as she had played out to be back at the bar. She knew what Dyson wanted to talk about, but she found herself playing those words over and over in her head.

His mate.

Family.

Human.

Death.

She was more confused than she was before the conversation.

She went home and plastered on a fake smile and offered fake enthusiasm as she and Kenzi dressed for their night out.

"Okay, I've been patient enough. Now spit it out; what is wrong?" Kenzi asked softly and ran her hands gently across her friend's hand.

"Nothing." Bo replied. " _Nothing._  Let's just go."

"Did Lauren do something? Do I need to get my Russian mafia fists out?"

"No. Lauren did not do anything wrong."

"Then what is it?"

"It's Dyson."

* * *

"Suck it up, Bo. If you hadn't taunted the damn guy's  _puppies_  you wouldn't have gotten gashed."

Bo kept her hands on the car wheel, her eyes planted on nothing in general. Kenzi poked her friends. "Bo! Helloo? Earth to Bo!"

"Huh?" Bo's' eyes scrunched up on her forehead.

"I said suck it up. Let's go. Hotpants is probably working herself into an early grave."

"The new girl should have kept her damn mouth shut," Bo hissed, her hands clenching the wheel tighter.

"She thought you were going to  _bleed_  to death. You can't blame her. I was two seconds away from grabbing the next pedestrian, but she called the doctor like really fast."

"This is so fucked up," the succubus lamented.

"Yeah, it is. And it's your doing, toots. If we had known you were  _healing_  with Dyson in the storage closet…" Kenzi trailed off.

"I was stabbed in my side; I needed help!"

"Bo, the Light Fae compound is literally one and a half miles from the station. We could have gotten you there in no time."

"And risk me bleeding to death on my way there?"

"No." Kenzi sighed. "I am just saying pull yourself together."

"Don't say anything, Kenz. I mean it."

The human girl nodded, her movement only barely visible. She took a deep breath and said, "Bobo, you know you gotta tell her about the rest, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Bo's voice raised an octave and her tongue moved a little too hurriedly.

"I know, Bo. I'm talking about you and him doing the dirty again ever since you had drinks with him five days ago."

"Shit. This is such a big mess," Bo replied with desperation. She rested her head against the hands she had placed on the steering wheel.

"Oh, tits. It's a freaking nightmare you mean. This love triangle is getting me dizzy."

"Come on. Let's just go see Lauren before she explodes. She probably thinks my limbs are falling off or something."

* * *

"This is remarkable. You normally wouldn't be healing this fast without feeding."

Lauren had a clipboard with test results in her hand, her fingers scribbling down medical terms and seemingly random numbers – at least to Bo.

"Yeah, it, uh, looks like your new formula does the trick," the brunette said through a smile.

Lauren returned the smile and clicked the end of the pen before settling it into her lab coat pocket.

"Well, we still have a few kinks to smooth out, but we're on our way. Pretty soon I'll be able to sustain your hunger myself." Lauren titled her head and sent Bo a beaming smile.

"Ooh, using the words kinks and hunger has definitely made me hungry for some Lauren flavored healing," Bo drawled, her eyes twinkling.

Lauren blushed and hummed.

"Oh, barf. Keep it in your pants, Bobo!" Kenzi requested as she reached for a stethoscope. The blue-eyed best friend to the succubus placed the equipment on her person and listened to her own heartbeat.

"Sounds like Kenzi is getting grumpy. You better feed her, Bo."

"I'm not a damn pet, doc!"

The duo of succubus and her human walked side by side along the streets of Toronto, minutes after the exam came to its end. The unexpected doctor visit at the Fae compound had Bo on edge with nerves the whole morning.

"Have fun lying to Miss frigid?" Kenzi asked pointedly.

"Of course not!" Bo walked faster.

"I don't really like the doc, but you know as well as I do that she doesn't deserve this. And stop walking for just a second!"

Bo stopped and whirled around. "You think I like this? You have no idea how hard this is for me."

"Think about how hard it will be for  _her_ once she finds out you've been bumping uglies with Dyson for the past week."

"It was three times! And I was hurt, Kenzi. I needed healing, and he was there with me."

"Hun, you know I'm Team Dyson, but what you are doing is cold. I mean, couldn't you just suck some blue to taper off or something?"

"We are not having this conversation right now. Tamsin what's-her-face is expecting us back in ten minutes. And where the hell did I park my damn car?"

"Jeez, succubitch. Panic, much? We're like five steps away. So, calm that sweet ass down."

Kenzi didn't speak during the ride, but she gazed over at her friend, noting the various emotions playing across her face. A few times she thought she saw hope then a look of guilt a few seconds after. It took strong will, but Kenzi knew better than to speak up. She knew Bo better than anyone, even more than Bo herself. Even if Lauren did deserve better, Kenzi's loyalty laid with the succubus. Being the succubus' friend was exhausting; Kenzi thought she should be getting paid salary and hazard pay.

"I don't know why I don't pack extra clothes for my extra clothes. I've got ogre blood all over this top, and I just bought it last week," Bo whined as they parked by the police station.

"Don't forget that you gushed all over him first before you killed him."

"He started it. Anyway, give me the jacket underneath your seat. That will cover the blood for now."

When Bo and Kenzi walked into Dyson's section of the station, Tamsin stopped mid-rant, at a whisper quiet level. They were the only ones on the area, but they spoke low enough that Bo and Kenzi didn't catch a word of their heated conversation.

"We're not done talking about this, wolf," Tamsin spat. The Valkyrie turned toward the duo and ran her fingers through her bangs.

"Alright, Bo. Let's get to the questioning lounge so you can give me the run down of what the hell happened back there."

The interrogation room suddenly felt smaller than normal to Bo. Across her, hidden behind a mountain of paperwork, sat Tamsin, who, though still frustratingly beautiful, looked at little worse for wear than the other two times she had seen her.

"Look, Tamsin," Bo fidgeted as she began speaking first. The blonde across her had yet to look up from her papers. "About what you saw back there with Dyson.."

The cop inhaled sharply and finally removed her gaze from the files spread about. She licked her lips and glared at the succubus.

"Don't care about that. If you want to disgustingly swap DNA with a wolf shifter that is your prerogative. Just please lock the friggin door next time. Last thing I wanna see is a furry ass."

"It wasn't like that. I needed to heal, and he was there."

Tamsin quirked her eyebrow. "I don't know a thing about your _whatever-it-is-you're-doing_  with my new partner, but he has been worse than a Harpy during PMS, which affects my working day. So, for the sake of Valhalla, don't bring your drama to my station."

"I don't have a- I have a girlfriend, thank you very much."

The blonde shook her head, amused. "A succubus in a relationship? Then why - no. You know what? I don't want to know. So let's get back to business."

Bo nodded, thankful for the change in subject. "I had been consulting with Dyson about the Stevenson case. I think there may be a succubus, not me, helping with luring the underfae."

"I already know about that. I mean how the how you end up separated from Dyson?"

"I forgot to bring my walkie, okay? And my phone was dead. There just so happened to be three more underfae thingies than I had thought. The ugliest one barked, or, howled, and Mr. Badbreath came out of nowhere and stabbed me while his pets tried to spray something out of their mouths at me."

"And then you stabbed him with his own knife. How did you get the knife from him?"

"I told him to give it to me after I pulsed him. And he did. I may have said a few choice words about his manhood. Is that all?"

"Unless there is something else you managed to tangle up for me, no. I just have to find a human spin on this and clear you for payment. Speaking of, have you gotten your P.I. license cleared away?"

Bo scoffed, offended. "Yes, I did." Her powers came in handy quite often. The license issuer accepted her papers and expedited her case.

"Good. Now we won't have the Chief down our necks again. That would be all, Bo."

Bo left the station hurrying toward the crack shack to get out of her bloodstained clothing. Kenzi managed to lift several donuts from the station's break room and kept her mouth occupied on the way back to their home, much to Bo's delight. She couldn't deal with anymore third degree today.

Once inside the house, if it could qualify as a house at this point, Kenzi yawned and stretched her limbs. Bo noted that her aura wasn't a bubbly tinge of light blue as it normally presented itself; tonight it was a dark and slow moving dark gray. The only other time she saw this color on her best friend was during the whole Nate debacle.

The succubus frowned and hugged her friend from behind, wrapping her arms around a rather slim waist.

"Kenz, please don't be mad at me," she pleaded. Her frown deepened once she felt muscles stiffen.

The human sighed and turned to face her.

"Bobo, I'm not mad. Not really. I'm just worried for when shit hits the fan."

"How do you know shit is going to hit the fan? Things might just work out."

"Honey, have you taken a look at us and our lives? Shit is gonna hit the fan."

There wasn't much she could say. Her gut even told her something was going to give. She walked to her room and robotically removed her clothing and looked down at her abdomen. She had no scarring from the wound. Her skin was flawless as it always had been.

No doubt, a few hickies and hand marks would be present from Dyson had she not had the power to rejuvenate her cells. He was rough, as usual, in the storage closet. She had been bleeding, leaning against his desk with her palm pressed against her open cut. Dyson offered and insisted to help her heal. What surprised her was her lack of hesitance this time. She grabbed his collar and crashed her lips against his mouth and started inhaling potent Fae chi. Instantly, her blue, glowing eyes gave the shifter permission, and he lifted her up and walked her to the nearest place for privacy. In a well practiced move, as hasty as it may have been, he removed her too-tight pants and barely even lowered his own - just enough to release himself. His hands grabbed each side of her hips and gripped her while she met him thrust for thrust.

He hadn't had the chance to finish. Neither did the succubus, but the sexual exchange coupled with his chi had been enough to heal the wound to a small scar. Lauren offered her chi to heal the remainder, but Bo refused. Lauren was to never be fed on. A small snack with one of the inmates was enough to return her back to normal.

She wasn't sure how long she spent in the shower until the water turned cold. The water heater allowed for ninety minutes of heat until it turned as cold as ice. It was something both of the girls dealt with; it wasn't like they were really paying for gas and electricity. Bo wasn't sure how Kenzi managed to get them full power and water. No doubt, it would probably have something to do with her family and her connections.

"Kenzi?"

The succubus was still in her kimono. It had been her turn to do the laundry, which meant she had no clean towels. She skipped down the stairs and spotted a sleeping Kenzi on the couch, a wine bottle still perched in her hand. And there was Dyson, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Dyson. I- what are you doing?"

"I wanted to check up on you. Bo, I know you didn't fully heal when we-"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Dyson stood and walked toward her. His arms encircled her and he placed a lingering kiss on her forehead.

"Bo, you've got to be more careful. I can't lose you."

"I'm a big girl, Dyson."

He chuckled and leaned back to look into her eyes.

"You know, " He began. "We didn't get a chance to finish what we started."


	2. Chapter 2

The clock on the wall read half past ten in the evening. Most of the Fae fire victim files were squared away and signed and stamped with "Top Secret" across the cover. As cliché as it seemed, it was absolutely necessary. The ink was laced with magic that responded only to Light Fae elders and who ever was deemed important enough. It was a case-by-case deal. The bright red marker with "Top Secret" was purely for the humans to see whenever the files landed at the local police precinct. Human spins on stories were created for the human eyes should any curious souls open the manila folders. As with the stamp, only the true stories were revealed with the right audience. While human paperwork in any other lab/medical bay is a mountain of paperwork, the workload of Fae was more like a continent.

Lauren stamped the very last folder and turned to her assistant, a Boston Harpy. "Megan, please take these to the acting Ash. They will be expecting these before midnight."

The girl nodded and vacated the room without a single utterance, leaving the doctor alone in her lab.

The blonde removed her lab coat and placed it in the hazard bin for cleaning. She rubbed her temples in an attempt to alleviate the mild headache she acquired within the past three hours. While glancing at the clock and seeing the time, Lauren exhaled tiredly and pulled her brown leather jacket over her shoulders.

Bo was probably waiting impatiently at the bar for her. Tonight was their date night, and while the Dal wasn't exactly the most romantic of places, it was one of the pre-approved establishments on a very small list of places she could frequent freely as Light Fae property.

Almost every inch of Lauren's body protested each move she made. Hours without break on her feet and countless pipetting constricted her muscles. Thoughts of Bo using her soothing powers made her smile. She didn't take advantage of those powers from Bo, but sometimes she'd let herself indulge.

The doctor pulled out her phone and dialed Bo. The voicemail picked up immediately.

Lauren rolled her eyes at herself. Of course she'd not be able to reach her. Bo said her phone died when she was in there just hours ago.

After turning out the lights and shutting down all the medical equipment, the doctor took one last look over her lab and headed off to the Dal.

"Good evening, Lauren. Scotch, as usual?" Trick smiled and starting pouring her drink, not waiting for a response. She always ordered a scotch, and that was something the old Fae admired about her.

Lauren smiled and nodded. "You know me too well. Has Bo been waiting long? Where is she anyway?"

Trick furrowed his eyebrows. "No, I am afraid I haven't seen her today."

"Oh. I guess I just arrived first. Can you have two buckthorns ready for her?"

"Sure, Lauren."

Bo's shots were poured and placed in front of the doctor where she waited. Beautiful light chocolate eyes scanned the crowd in search of the succubus. Bo was late often, and Lauren had grown used to this trait through the year. As she leaned backward against the worn, wooden counter, she took in the crowd. Light and Dark Fae alike danced around each other on the makeshift dance floor. In the corners, ambiance shifted into secluded intimacy surrounding flirting couples.

Lauren smiled, remembering her dates with Bo that almost always happened on the same couch. She peered over to said couch and grimaced at the sight of Vex with his tongue down a random Fae's throat. Even worse was the leather outfit that she was sure belonged in a BDSM dungeon and not for public show.

Beside her, she felt the presence of someone within one foot of her. From her peripheral she knew within one second that whoever it was, was not Bo.

"You're human."

Lauren chuckled internally; she couldn't risk offending the lady next to her. She could be the acting Ash for all she knew since the acting Ash, who had only been 'signed' into office eight hours prior, had yet to see her subjects. That included Lauren. If you went by rank of slaves and property to the Light Fae, you'd quickly learn that the doctor was at the most valued level. The value, of course, being her skill at Fae genetics and general medicine.

She turned her neck slowly toward the voice while keeping a professional face despite the alcohol palmed in her hand.

"Yes, you would be correct. I am Doctor Lauren Lewis, ward of the Ash."

She ran her eyes over her new acquaintance and found herself intimidated. The girl, she noted, was beautiful and certainly gave off the sense of power. It was sizing glance, nothing more.

The girl, blonde hair several shades lighter than the doctor's, smirked.

"Relax, human. We're in a bar. There's no need for formality. I'm Tamsin. Dark Fae, yada, yada, yada."

Lauren smiled, though it didn't reach her face. This was all for show.

"So. Doctor, was it?" Tamsin questioned. "Well, it's nice to put a face to the voice I got all my cases relying on."

Lauren's eyebrows lifted as recognition fell on her.

"You're Officer Warwick?"

"Indeed, I am."

The doctor smiled- real this time. "I actually want to thank you for being so expedient with the cases. It's helping my turn over. The Ash gives their thanks."

"Hey, it's cool. Look the reason I came over here was because I wanted to-"

"I'm not interested. I'm flattered, but I will have to decline any of your advances." Lauren was quick to interject, feeling somewhat awkward in this predicament. No one hardly ever flirted with her or offered to buy her a drink.

Tamsin laughed.

"I'm sorry, is there something I'm missing?"

"No, no. I was just going to say I wanted a place to sit. The place is packed and you're commandeering two stools and sitting on zero."

"But, how you started out..." Her cheeks flushed red at her embarrassment.

"I was just caught by surprise is all. You're the first human I've seen in the Dal."

"You must not have been here much then. Kenzi is hard to miss."

"Kenzi. Scrawny goth-like human hanging around a succubus?"

"Yes! How did you- ah. Dyson and the consults."

The Valkyrie nodded. "So, you gonna let me bum a chair or what?"

"Oh! God. Yes, sorry."

Lauren stepped aside and scooted one of the stools towards her. She checked her cell phone for the time and cursed under her breath. Bo was really late.

She was contemplating on taking the buckthorn shots herself in the interim, but Kenzi's voice cleared her thoughts.

"Yo, Hotpants! Starting without us?" Kenzi faux gasped, feigning hurt.

"I wasn't aware you were our third date, Kenzi." Lauren muttered. Kenzi tagging along on a date night wasn't exactly unheard of either.

Bo followed, pecking her girlfriend on the lips. It was clear that Lauren had expected more as she leaned in toward the air when the kiss ended too abruptly and cleared her throat to hide her disappointment.

"Sorry, I'm late. We had a pipe burst all over the bathroom."

Bo wrapped her arms around Lauren who then leaned into the embrace and looked at her through a tired gaze. "I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"

"Uh, no. I was fine, Bo. Is your pipe still flooding?"

"No, Dyson fixed it." Kenzi said curtly.

"I wasn't aware Dyson had a hand in plumbing."

The mention of Dyson when it came to Bo always made her stomach fall and her blood boil just a little bit. A part of her believed Dyson probably fixed her pipes as an ulterior motive, but the logical part of her knew that Dyson was incapable of having feelings toward Bo since the Norm took his ability to love. She missed the glare Kenzi sent Bo and the questioning look Tamsin now sported.

Tamsin had just connected the dots from what the succubus told her earlier in the evening. This was the girlfriend.

"You're Bo's girlfriend." It came out more as a statement than a question.

Bo looked as if she had only just realized there had been someone else there the entire time. Once she saw Tamsin and the smug look and raised eyebrows, she felt her heart skip a beat. Tamsin could ruin everything if she chose to speak out.

"Yes. This is my girlfriend Lauren. Lauren, this is Officer Tamsin.. um.. what was your last name again?"

"We've met just not too long ago, Bo. It's fine."

"Warwick," Tamsin stated. "Well, this just turned into a big ball of fun. Oh, look- a spot on that booth just opened up. "

Without another word, the blonde Fae walked off.

Throughout the night, Kenzi enjoyed her free-drinks-for-life privilege as she sent knowing looks of disapproval toward her best friend. Bo and Lauren unashamedly flirted within the establishment.

Though Bo had fed very shortly before heading toward the bar, her hunger flared and only got stronger as the night wore on. Lauren's aura was blazing a brilliant gold, signifying lust and desire, and love. Little touches from the blonde sent her nerves buzzing with addiction. When Lauren nuzzled Bo's cheek, the succubus felt her eyes switch immediately to brilliant, glowing blue. The doctor smiled against her cheek, placed a soft, barely there kiss, and whispered, "I've gotta go to the ladies room. I'll be right back. No, that was not an invitation."

Once Lauren was out of earshot, Kenzi leaned toward Bo and hissed, "Our pipes broke?"

"Hey, I'm not lying!" Bo whispered back.

"You left out some  _pretty important_  details. You didn't mention that he came over first, and that  _you_ broke the pipes because  _he_  was giving you some plumbing."

"Kenzi, not now. This is none of your business anyway."

Kenzi looked hurt for a second, but let her voice drop an octave while responding.

"That's where you are wrong, Bo. I will be affected because I'm your supposed human pet. Dyson is my friend. When this bites you in the ass it will be me cleaning up your mess."

"Shh, she's coming back. We are done talking about this."

* * *

She couldn't breathe, and she was sure she hadn't been breathing the past forty minutes. Her muscles burned and the majority of her felt like a wet noodle.

Lauren felt a few droplets of sweat land on her neck. Bo was moving above her with their legs entwined, their most intimate places connecting and reconnecting as she rolled her hips downward in perfect rhythm. The blonde splayed her hands across the brunette's back and pulled her closer as she felt the beginning of her fast approaching release.

Both of the girls were panting. A few stifled cries and moans escaped and joined the other sounds of their coupling- the rocking of the headboard into the wall, the sound of their skin joining as wetness met wetness.

"Bo," Lauren breathed out shakily. She moved what she could of her lover's hair out of their faces and pulled it to the back of her head.

"Please," The blonde started again. "Bo. Please. Look. At. Me." It was hard to string together a full sentence. So went with what she could.

Bo still had her eyes slammed shut as she moved her body. Her hands clenched the sheets at the side of Lauren's head.

"Sw-eetie?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Let me see you."

The very structure of her began to shake for the countless time. If she's being completely honest, she had been counting as Lauren's brilliant mind never really ceased to shut off. This was the fourteenth time this session. A loud cry left her mouth, and she realized she  _was_  breathing. She needed to breathe to emit a noise like that. The coil in her abdomen released from its contraction and she tumbled over and saw shapes that vaguely reminded her of stars. The sound of Lauren falling over the edge had always been enough for Bo to follow shortly after. This time around though, her eyes remained shut.

It took a few minutes for both to catch their breath. Bo allowed her body to slump over to the side of Lauren.

The doctor sat up, and it took every single ounce of her strength to move. "I don't think our stock of sports drinks will last us the weekend."

Bo looked to Lauren, who was smirking in her direction, and offered a closed-lip smile.

Lauren woke the next morning, popped four advils into her mouth, and slipped her robe on to start breakfast for two.

Her hair still pointed in two hundred directions, and it was even slightly matted in a few places. Her body still had a slight itchiness, a cause of sweat drying onto skin and lack of shower. She still smelled lightly of sex, and she smiled at that, her teeth showing and shining a brilliant white (of course, she brushed as soon as she got up).

Lauren took a knife and expertly sharpened the sides before cutting into a selection of fruit. The toaster was set, and her espresso machine was currently pouring out precious, brown liquid. She hummed a rhythm-less tune as she moved her fingers to form a balanced meal to replenish all the nutrients her body used to keep up with sex with a succubus. As soon as the couple entered the loft last night, Lauren wasn't sure she'd be able participate after an already physically and emotionally draining day. A few little pulses from Bo weakened her resolve, and they did a familiar tug-and-pull of the other's body up the stairs.

The blonde redirected her attention to the soft sound of feet descending down the stairs.

"Good morning, sweetie. I have breakfast ready."

The doctor noted that Bo had just tossed on her old clothing. Even with just-fucked hair and no makeup, the succubus was breathtaking. They must have gotten just a little over three hours of actual sleep, yet Bo had no signs of exhaustion.

"Morning, Lauren. Wow. You didn't have to go through all of this."

Lauren waved a hand. "Bo, I want to feed you. After last night, I would advise you acquire some nourishment."

"Ah, no. I mean… I actually have to head out. I just got a text on an emergency consult. Kenzi is meeting me in ten."

The doctor nodded and pressed her lips together. Her mood of happy lightness dissipated.

"Oh. Of course. It's no problem."

Bo walked closer to Lauren. "You sure?" She asked.

The blonde nodded. "It's fine, Bo. I have some work to sort out, anyway. Go get the bad guys."

"Thanks. You're the best." Bo kissed Lauren softly. Her back was just passing the door that she didn't even hear her lover say a longing, "I love you."

And if she didn't hear it, she couldn't return it.

* * *

"Doctor Lewis, the last fire victim is showing signs of consciousness." The intern's announcement was enough to knock the doctor out of her intense concentration.

"Good. I expected his recovery today. Please administer the IV fluids with a little ashbane. That should remove any magical scarring from the supernatural elements from the fire. Thank you."

She didn't even need to look at the clock to know she had surpassed her supposed lunch hour by at least two hours. There haven't been many new cases today, but she did have trouble with a few of her genetic projects. There was the new Fae STD that she referred to as  _The Blue_  that hadn't been responding to any of the traditional treatments. Any of the infected Fae's own bodily healing had yet to overcome what looked to be one of the most painful rashes around the neck and torso, and eventually, to the groin area. So far, no one had died from the infection yet, but Lauren wasn't going to take her chances. What was even trickier was that she had to work with a projected baseline to start with as far as a cure went. Then came tinkering to cater each Fae species. Sometimes the physiology within the Fae was vastly different, much like Bo's. Not all succubi and incubi could thrall their subjects with blood. That special gift was due to the Blood King and his strong genetics. Any blood work had to be double checked and triple checked. It was a slim chance that Bo would need any medical healing that her own self-healing abilities could weather. But in this supernatural world, Lauren wouldn't ignore any precautions. One of the precautions as soon as The Blue made face (just three weeks ago), Lauren compiled a list of pre-screened Fae friends of the Ash for healing sessions.

The phone at Lauren's desk rang, startling her. Without looking up from her papers, she reached blindly for the receiver and answered.

"Doctor Lewis, L.F medical bay H.I.C. speaking."

"Good afternoon. Actually, no it's not a good afternoon. I got two new dead guys in my truck. Phookas."

"Hello, Officer Warwick. Alright, I'll have a lab team meet you at the station as soon as possible. How do you have them unseen in your truck?"

"I'm not at the station, doc. I'm actually at the residence of Bo and Kenzi."

Lauren sat straight up and worried painted her face in the form of wide eyes and furrowed brows.

"W-what? Is-Are they okay?"

"Oh, yeah. They're just over here eating pizza while we try to clean up a bit of the mess."

Lauren exhaled in relief.

She allowed herself a small laugh. "Trouble just has a way of finding her."

"I'll say. Well, the clean up crew is on their way, and they can't do all of their job if you don't send that lab team you promised me."

"Yes. On our way."

"Ours? Wha-."

Lauren had hung up too fast to hear Tamsin's response.

* * *

Bo's house was located at the other end of the city, far from the Light Fae headquarters, roughly thirty minutes on a good traffic flow. Seeing that Lauren's own loft was walking distance to the headquarters, it took the lab team a good forty-five minutes to reach the crack shack.

It didn't sound like she was exactly needed at the scene. However, Lauren felt she needed a break from her workload. Also, there was the fact that she wouldn't be seeing Bo tonight. It wasn't really one of their planned 'together' times. It was an unspoken rule that should Bo go on her feeding hunts and healing sessions that she not mention them in any way, shape, or form. It was painful giving Bo a list of Fae to go to for sex. For this reason, it was Bo's part to make any plans. If Lauren didn't receive any verbal plans, she knew it was because Bo had planned to feed.

When Lauren and crew arrived at the club house, she noticed two things. One, there was blood everywhere (on the couch, the walls, the stairs). In fact, she was just about to turn around to question the Valkyrie until she saw Bo, Kenzi, and Dyson sitting around the kitchen room area. It seemed to be the only place without blood covering its surfaces.

_Was this the consult Bo was talking about? A case involving goat shifters?_

Bo stood up to talk to the new arrivals but halted her progress as soon as she saw Lauren. For a second, Lauren thought she saw panic and guilt on her girlfriend's face. But, that wouldn't make any sense, Lauren thought.

"Oh, Lauren. You really didn't have to come out here for this. When they said the lab crew I didn't think they'd make you leave your duties."

"Ha, you said duties," Kenzi laughed.

Lauren threw her an ' _are you serious'_  look before turning her attention back to the succubus who had started to walk toward her again.

"No, I wanted to come, Bo. The thought that any thing bad happening here would have me a nervous wreck." Lauren stressed. "Besides, I probably won't see you for a bit, right?" The doctor gave a sad smile. Bo nodded.

Tamsin appeared next to the doctor. "Thanks for coming. Your team just headed toward the bodies. So if you could just sign these forms as ago ahead, I'll be able to get out of your hair and they can clean the stink that was left in the back of my truck."

She signed the forms and turned back to the Bo.

"What happened here?"

"Oh, you know. Some goat men just came charging at us. We killed them dead." The succubus giggled, a little too forcefully.

Lauren arched her eyebrows and titled her head, confused.

"Well, that doesn't make much sense. The Phooka generally don't attack unless provoked. Did something happen?"

Bo shifted and looked back at Kenzi and Dyson.

Dyson spoke up, speaking as calmy as ever. "They were after me. I accidentally ate one of their brothers when I was roaming the woods a month ago."

"How do you mean accidentally?"

"I was chasing a lot of goat when I was hungry. They all smelled Fae, but I was too hungry to care. They came for revenge. I stopped them."

"Oh," Lauren replied, still uneasy. How did he manage to rip them up…everywhere? "So, you were doing your consult here and they followed you."

"What consult?"

Bo responded, "The consult, Dyson. With the thing."

"I'm out" Kenzi hopped out off her stool, picked up a random bottle of half-empty vodka that lay on the kitchen counter, and sauntered off into her room.

Something seemed incredibly off and Bo started to sense the questions multiplying in Lauren's skull if the flaring of the nostrils were any indication.

"I need to fill out some paperwork," Dyson announced, grabbing his coat. "I'll see you later Bo. Lauren." The wolf shifter walked toward his new partner, leaving the human and the succubus alone.

"Bo, I feel as if I'm missing some rather important key details. What is it you're not telling me?"

"Nothing. We're all just a bit tired from the goose chase that went down in our house. They got me good a few times, but I used their chi to heal, and let me tell you that their chi does  _not_  taste good.

Knowing it had been a long day for both of them, Lauren decided to not ask any further questions until Bo felt settled down enough to talk.

Bo let them to the stools, the only place to sit without getting blood anywhere.

Lauren allowed her eyes to roam over her girlfriend for any lingering wounds; she didn't even know if Bo had taken enough chi from the shifters, especially if Bo was looking as nervous as she was now.

"It looks like you didn't get a chance to full heal." Lauren noted, seeing a few marks on her girlfriend's neck.

"What? Yes, I did. I didn't get any life threatening injuries. They were minor Lauren, really." Bo grabbed Lauren's hand. "I'm good."

The doctor always thought Bo underestimated her injuries, probably as a way to quell Lauren's fears and worries.

"You're just trying to be a hero," Lauren smirked. "But, there is actually some bruising on along your neck. Here, let me take a look."

"I didn't even get hit in the neck," Bo offered.

"What?"

"I didn't-"

The succubus didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as the blonde worriedly pulled the offending shirt downward to reveal a series of ugly bruise-like markings.

"No," Lauren stated, her voice suddenly voice of emotion. Her eyes went from soft and caring to cold and accusing. "These wouldn't be the markings of any injuries associated with any type of scuffle."

Lauren felt her throat constrict as bile forced its way upward. Air left her lungs as she huffed and laughed humorlessly to herself. These particular markings were identical to the beginnings of The Blue. Suddenly her mind worked probabilities of each scenario, but she couldn't help the pull at her gut that Dyson was involved. She knew there could have been a number of places Bo could have gotten it, including the list of Fae Lauren gave her for clearance, since no one could ever been one hundred percent protected, save for celibacy. However, from the recent tardiness (more excessive and later than normal with Bo) to the closed eyes in bed, to the awkward tension whenever Dyson was concerned, she was pretty clear her gut was not wrong. She had to be sure.

"Dyson." Lauren shouted tersely.

The wolf walked over cautiously as he smelled a shift in the air.

"What can I do for you Lauren?"

Without explanation or forewarning, Lauren lifted Dyson's shirt (Thankfully, he wasn't wearing any of those cumbersome vests).

There, on toned, firmed abs, were similar marks Bo sported.

Lauren dropped his shirt as if it burned her palm. She nodded as she mashed her lips together.

"Oh…" Bo whispered dejectedly. When the blonde dared a look at Bo, she noticed tears forming in eyes she had laid so much trust.

The doctor swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She managed to blink back tears and keep her composure. Her face was stone cold. As Kenzi said once, she was cold and frigid, and she looked every bit of that.

"Congratulations. You both are displaying the onset symptoms of a Fae sexually transmitted disease. Please call my interns to set up an appointment for lab work. Unfortunately, there are no cures available, but I'm sure we'll figure out something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering how Bo was able to have her rashes hidden but had it shown in this chapter, don't worry. There is an explanation for that.


	3. Chapter 3

Lauren didn't factor in her sudden escape plan that she and the rather large white, non-descript van were the ride to a team of budding medical professionals and two dead Fae bodies. The team of the Light Fae Medical Bay still had to acquire the necessary DNA samples from the crime scene and collect the data off other factors that could clue in to their case.

So, when Lauren walked forcefully out of the decrepit house, she remembered the little tidbit and let out an angry, "Shit!"

Beside her and to the back a little, a chuckle announced Tamsin's presence. Lauren whirled toward the sound to see Officer Warwick nursing what looked like a cigarette.

"Don't worry, Doc. The wind is sending the smoke into the opposite direction of the crime scene, and I am well over twenty feet from the building."

The doctor was beginning to wonder if every sentence that came out of the officer's mouth was laced in sarcasm and teasing undertones.

Tamsin shifted her weight from one foot to the other as her Fae ability, one that allows her to feel fear, despair, and emotional pain, sucked in waves of darkening emotions leaking off of the doctor. She didn't want to worry. Hell, she never wanted to feel anything for any humans, but it wasn't something she could control. Not really.

Once she realized the human was not going to speak first, she sucked in one last breath of smoke the white stick had to offer and tossed the small cigarette to the ground and covered it with her work-issued boots. Her eyes softened and the creases in her forehead become more pronounced in her worry. She dared a few steps toward the doctor.

"Hey. You look a little frazzled. Are you okay?"

She heard Lauren attempt a scoff, but it came out more like a broken exhale.

"It is nothing you need to worry about, Officer Warwick. I just wish to get to my lab as soon as possible."

The Valkyrie nodded to express her understanding. She did understand. She may not have understood the full reasoning or words or situations, but she felt it come off of Lauren clearly.

"Yeah, these clean up and medical crews always take so fucking long, right?" She forced a laugh, and it came out all to fake, almost terrifying.

Lauren blinked.

Shit, thought Tamsin. This is why I hate fucking talking to people.

"Listen, I'm not too fond of waiting everyone out when I've got my portion done; so, I know where you stand. I've just finished up the cop end. I can take you back while your crew finishes...whatever it is you have them do. I'll just take Dyson's vehicle."

"Actually, I'd appreciate that a lot." The doctor didn't want to have any more thoughts surrounding Dyson, but she'd gladly take any exit she was offered.

Bo came bursting out of her front door and was pulled back into the threshold just as quickly.

"Let me go, Dyson, or I swear to god you won't be able to walk for a week. Lauren! Wait, please. Lauren!"

Looking into Bo's eyes caused a stir a sickness to swirl in her stomach. The reality of the situation formed a proverbial fist and punched Lauren's gut, heart, and took hold of her soul, the parts of her she revealed to the succubus, and squeezed. The blonde human wanted to give in to her shock and fall down onto her knees, to ground herself to the Earth, to finally let the effect of her lover's betrayal form evidence and leave her body in the form of tears.

But Dyson was there, the very epitome of alpha male (and the very irony of that was not lost on Lauren), and though he participated in the fall out of her relationship with Bo, any interaction she offered was none of his business. He may get the cliff notes version down the grapevine, but he had no place in her affairs with Bo while it was happening.

There was also the factor of Officer Warwick being present. Any altercations would be highly unprofessional for both her station and the wolf's. More than that, though, Lauren didn't want to fling her personal matters out in the open for her to see. Lauren valued her privacy, more so than the average person because she had so little now-a-days. It wasn't often that Lauren felt shame, but she would surely expose herself to that should the officer see the predicament she was now in. She needed to be seen in a light of confidence, not of in a light of pity and with countless shadows that Bo had cast on her.

Then, finally there was Bo herself. Half of her wanted to rage at her face and demand the truths to the lies Bo gave her. She wanted to know the details of her encounters with Dyson, to see what made the loss of their connection worth her infidelity. She deserved to know the truth and have her closure. As strong as Lauren was, she didn't have the emotional strength to deal putting every piece together that second. Seeing Bo's dark brown eyes had never make her feel inadequate before. Even the time Bo shamed her for spying on her for the Ash she hadn't felt less than a person; that situation had its justifications, and in all honestly, having Bo alive to yell at her was worth it in the end. Brown eyes that brought undeniable attraction and love into her world just hours before was too much to feel drift away.

Lauren's face held together when Bo managed to pull away from Dyson's grasp and jog to try encircle her arms around her. Lauren did, however, step backward as she cast an empty glance toward her. Bo lifted her palms to rest on each side of Lauren's face and traced an invisible line across her cheekbones. Feeling skin impossibly soft under her fingers, Bo sobbed once before pleading, "Just let me explain, Lauren. Please."

"You no longer have the right to request my time nor my attention, Bo."

Dyson had his grasp back on Bo while she tried to squirm from his strong arms. Her sobs and whispers and broken sentences fell on deaf ears. The human tuned her out, looked at Tamsin to send her a small nod to signify to take their leave, and waited for the officer to open the vehicle doors.

Four days passed with a slow crawl. Everything Lauren felt was magnified and set on fire and caused an emotional warfare that sent her to find comfort in her scotch. She was never one to take her drinking to extremes; she knew all too well the effects her liver would have to suffer, and the few times she had indulged brought her to her knees and in front of a toilet for hours on end. Nonetheless, she did find comfort in one or two glasses of her favorite scotch and even from an expensive and rare bottle she had been saving for the next milestone in her relationship with Bo. Much like her relationship with the succubus, the scotch stung with a bittersweet taste that she found it worth the initial burn as it brought small waves of euphoria.

"Hmm. You thought you'd have a workable relationship with a succubus," the blonde talked to herself, chastising the past version of her as if it would make a difference. As if she could go back in time and take her own advice.

"You should have known that succubi are incapable of caging their primal instincts. It's against their very nature. Like caging a tiger. They eventually resent their handlers. God. You even projected another few months until trouble floated to surface."

She sat on her couch in front of her fireplace. The warmth it offered only granted small reprieve that her heart had made her suffer. Her mind wasn't any better; she couldn't throw herself into her work now that The Blue had been the only thing on her desk save for the minor, routine doctor visits from various Fae. She had gained little progress. Bo's DNA was still being digested by mild acids to magnify what she was to inspect. Small samples of the rash were being cultured as well, and that would take several more hours because Bo had only stopped by the lab thirty hours ago. Seeing her again was still a kin to being stabbed in the heart.

Everyday, Bo sent a text along with phone calls only to have none returned or answered.

Lauren read and listened to every one before deleting them.

The fifth day after the discovery, Lauren found it in herself to separate her feelings to continue Bo's samples (along with Dyson's) with professionalism. It helped to refer to them by case number, thanks to scientific nomenclature with all things in her lab.

Bo's sample had been prepped in the early morning hours, thanks to an eager intern. Megan the Harpy had fresh brewed coffee ready, and for once, Lauren had gotten a full night's rest that the week had deprived of her. She wouldn't call it a good day considering the recent break up, but it was a relief.

Kenzi walked into the lab with a bounce, her arms swinging at her sides. She wore a corset over a stripped fitted top reminiscent of a gondola singer. The splash of her bright reds and shiny blacks of her outfit brought a smile to the doctor's face that surprised her as much as it surprised the Russian girl. It was a sense of playful delight the outfit offered against her sterile world that pulled at Lauren in a comforting way- like a bit of her past with the present without any of the pain. Kenzi wasn't someone she had been close to. In fact, the two seemed to barely tolerant each other, never really touching- like two moons orbiting the same planet.

"Hey, doc!" Kenzi fronted a smile, but her fidgety hands gave away her unease.

"Good morning, Kenzi. I presume you've come for Bo's meds?" Lauren's voice came out just as she hoped- calm, assertive, and flat.

"Yup," the raven-haired girl replied. She inhaled a large breath of air and looked up to the sky.

Lauren saw her mouth move, and she stood there in secret amusement as she always did at Kenzi's quirks and antics. Kenzi lowered her line of eyesight back downward and looked at the doctor. Her mouth opened and closed, gaping like a fish, which only amused Lauren more.

"You see, Doc..."

"Yes?"

"Here's the thing." Kenzi puffed her cheeks out as she exhaled and darted her eyes around the lab a few times before settling her blue eyes back on Lauren.

"Go on." Lauren stated.

"You and I don't like each other."

Lauren lifted an eyebrow and licked her lips as she always tended to when forced to bite her tongue and then smiled awkwardly.

"I mean. You and I don't mesh. We just kind of don't mix. Like chocolate and bacon, and vodka and barbeque sauce."

"How would you even-"

"Don't ask. Really. Don't even."

Kenzi walked around the nearest stat monitor and ran her fingers gently along its surface. Lauren put her hand out to gesture that she shouldn't be anywhere near those buttons, but she retreated her hand knowing that it would be fruitless. Instead, she responded with a drawn out, "O-kay."

"We're like oil and acrylic paints wanting to paint the same piece of canvas."

"What? Where is this going, Kenzi?"

"I'm the acrylic, and you're the oil! Are you even listening?" Kenzi asked incredulously.

"I am assuming here that Bo is the canvas. I am just wondering where you are going with this, anyway. If you're here to talk me into giving Bo a chance, then I am afraid you are wasting your time."

"No, no. That's not why we're near the canvas."

Lauren pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Kenzi, will you just please get to your point? I've got a lot to get started on today."

"We're near the canvas because we're two of the same things. We are both paints among a world of canvases. We get used up and squeezed out to fit in a bigger picture we could never see." The dark haired girl shivered and looked back up at the sky and, again, mouthed a few words, only this time it looked more like expletives.

"Doc- Uh, Lauren. We're both humans in a world we do not belong, but we do it because we can't not be in it after we've seen things. Right?"

Lauren remained quiet and Kenzi took it her silence as a go ahead to continue.

"I'm trying to say I'm sorry that Bo and Dyson..you know. I mean, I didn't want it to play out like this. Not this way. And I sorta I helped get his love back."

"What?"

"He was so broken. When I was in his body, I felt the void. I didn't think about what would happen. I just wanted Dyson to be Dyson again."

She looked at Lauren and waited for the outburst she imagined would happen. But, Lauren just stood there with an unrecognizable expression. Most things about Lauren were unreadable, at least to Kenzi.

"I'm not mad at you, Kenzi," Lauren assured her almost as if she could read her thoughts.

"I try to protect my friends. I am sorry I didn't tell you about Bo and Dyson when it started. It's just..she's Bo. She's my best friend. She's like my sister."

"It wasn't your secret to tell. I understand."

"But we're both humans. We should like, be all ya ya of the sisterhood of pants or something, only without the sisterhood part."

Lauren frowned, not understanding.

"Anyway, I just wanted to say.. I'm sorry. And, yeah, Bo is a wreck and she's been crying nonstop. And, the other day I came home to find her watching some science things on the discovery channel. Shit's weird!"

"Kenzi?"

"What?"

"Chocolate and bacon are surprisingly a good fit. Just so you know."

Tamsin wasn't lying when she told Bo that Dyson was worst than a harpy during PMS. His constant mood swings and low growls picked at the blonde's nerves that she had only been to work sober twice the past five days.

"Alright. Who's house are you trying to destroy over there?"

"I don't know what you mean, Tamsin."

"I'm talking about all that huffing and puffing over there."

"Mind your own damn business, Warwick."

The station was busy, yet the duo had yet to get through a case fully without the wolf throwing an internal tantrum. It was also incredibly disturbing the way Dyson scratched at his neck and belly every few minutes and even shifted in his seat.

"Would you sit still? You're making me itch just looking at you. What is wrong with you anyway? Got fleas?"

"Nothing is wrong, now can we just get back to work?"

"We'll, it might go smoother if you didn't lie to me about certain cases," Tamsin whispered so assuredly that it struck a nerve with an already irritated Dyson.

"What are you accusing me of, exactly?" He growled.

"You owe me an explanation about the Phookas."

Dyson sighed. "It's all in the Fae report. The truth, that is."

"Well, hand it over. Does Lauren know the whole report?"

"No. I have the final documents in my desk for her to sign. She'll know then."

Tamsin strut into the Lauren's lab and eyed the surroundings. She winced at the all too sterile aesthetics. The doctor was peering into the her microscope, slightly turning the focus lens. The Valkyrie studied her for a second and noted the doctor's own much more pleasing aesthetics in a lab coat and goggles. Normally, she wouldn't care to spend too much attention ogling (she was much more subtle about doing that in her day to day interactions) but the doctor's lab coat was buttoned up and snug around her toned torso.

Figuring she should probably announce her presence before she was caught, she called out, "So I heard you are called HotPants."

Lauren flinched, and having just grabbed the slide to switch out, she dropped the glass onto the desk, shattering the sample.

"Crap!"

Tamsin jogged up to the desk. "Oh. Shit. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break your science, doc."

"No! Don't touch that!"

The blonde Fae yanked her hands back, as she was about to pick up the small pieces of glass.

"Oh. Right. Don't want my junk to fall off either."

"What? Has someone's- I haven't had anyone notify me-"

"Bad joke. Sorry" The Valkyrie cringed. "Sorry about that, though."

"It's fine. I have other samples from the same vial."

Lauren looked at the new visitor expectantly, waiting to hear the exact reason for the surprise visit. She ran her hands down the front of her lab coat to smooth her appearance.

Tamsin noticed the movement, but she couldn't get a read on the doctor.

The doctor cleared her throat after the silence dragged into uncomfortable territory.

"Uh..The resident brooding wolf has send me with this for you to sign. I told him I wasn't his courier, but I was promised a full paint job on my truck. So, here." Tamsin held out the files toward the human.

"With the truth this time, I'm hoping."

"Apparently, so."

The Valkyrie waited and walked around the lab impatiently. It took Lauren twenty minutes to go through the files. She ended the reading session with an "Hmm."

"What" Tamsin questioned.

"So, Bo and Dyson ventured into Phooka territory. Bo got too close to a kid, was charged by the mother, had her wrist broken, and killed the doe. Dyson healed her on the forest floor." Lauren swallowed, her emotions threatening to surface.

"And, according to Dyson's sense of smell, the same Phookas in the area managed to find out where she lived by following his scent. And he tore them apart at the club house. Well, I guess he didn't fully lie."

"Yeah."

"Well. Since they were in Phooka territory on the Ash's orders, I believe they will not be under any scrutiny."

The officer shrugged. She really didn't care so much about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to let people know that there won't be much more about The Blue as it isn't a major thing. It served its purpose as a plot device to reveal Bo's infidelity and as a way to start the copdoc interaction.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello! I just wanted to remind you that this is a Lauren/Tamsin pairing. I get a lot of doccubus shippers out there commenting about making doccubus endgame. Sorry guys, I am all about CopDoc.

 

Official Fae documents weren't handwritten on aged vellum like you'd expect; none of the modern official Fae documents were. In fact, they were all typed, printed, categorized, and sometimes even notarized in both Light and Dark Fae factions. Lauren was one for authentic appearances, so she did enjoy the little things that meshed her personal fantasies with reality- like magically sealed banana leaves for her prescriptions. She was well aware of this strange dichotomy in the fae world.

Lauren, at the event of her binding as Light Fae property, was as full of life as any young, new doctor would be (despite the reasoning behind her slavery). Her imagination drew an image of The Shire and Mordor merged, and she certainly expected a Tolkienesque form of contract; She expected ink from her blood and strange incantations when she signed her full name over that dotted line. The younger version of her had chuckled and made a lame elf quip, not knowing that there was an actual division of elves present at her signing. Sometimes she thought of that joke and cringed.

_"If I'm siding with the Fae, shouldn't Legolas be here to offer me some cookies or something equally jolly?"_

Those days of open mockery and jovial banter were long gone, and all that remained were little crumbs of what she used to be.

Now she had binding laws preventing her from unnecessary outside contact, limited places offered in her "free time", and all this  _damn paperwork_  on her desk. They were empty for the time being; they only had the template of medical jargon and numbers, all awaiting the results and stamps of approval for 'The Blue' victims once they receive the antidote. The cure for 'The Blue' was rather anticlimactic. After the big reveal, it took Lauren all of two days to revert the effects of the 'disease' and one day for the word of the cure to reach the Fae world.

The click of heels always did echo from the hallway to the medical lab. Some days the rhythm was more rushed while others had the clicks slow into a steady reveal. Lauren sometimes pretended she didn't hear Bo's arrival, and she would wait while peering into her microscope until Bo announced her arrival. It had been clear after the girl's first unannounced visit to the lab that she liked to stare at Lauren in her work mode. It was something the blonde found incredibly endearing if not entirely predictable for a predatory Fae species such as the Succubi.

This day, Lauren was too involved in reading the new medical journals with the child-like wonder in her eyes to even register the tell-tale sign of Bo approaching the her lab.

Bo stood still and remained silent when she realized Lauren had not heard her approach. So, she let her eyes roam over the body she had worshipped not very long ago. Though Bo had fed and healed what she could last night, her hunger for Lauren re-flared once she caught sight of her softly swirling aura. Her chi was burning at a low heat, like left-over embers from campfire. She couldn't remember the last she had seen her aura this low, but it was entirely her doing, and she hated that she couldn't just walk over and hold her close.

"How long have you been standing there?" Lauren asked, bringing Bo out of her thoughts. Their eyes connected, and Bo felt like a reprimanded child. This situation was all too familiar with those words; the doctor had asked her the exact same thing when she first asked for her help. Only that time Lauren had sounded playful.

"Not long," Bo offered. The brunette darted her eyes away from Lauren's all to direct stare.

The blonde arched her eyebrows. "Bo?

"Hi. I-I wanted to.. was hoping to talk." Bo said carefully.

Lauren smiled sadly, mostly to herself. Bo would forever be an enigma to her. Succubi were the epitome of self-confidence and appeal. Everything about them was fit to suit their nature as predators: their beautiful appearance, voice of silk, and a natural air of confidence that linger on cocky. Yet here was Bo, hesitant and doubtful around a human. In many ways, Bo's character was the most human that Lauren had ever witnessed, and that was what made her the most beautiful creature she had ever come across.

This moment, the moment of Bo's vulnerability, was almost too bittersweet for Lauren to be in the same building, the same room. Inside, she felt her walls crumble at the sight of pained, brown eyes. At the sight of the brunette, the blonde wanted nothing more than to bring their mouths together again, to hold her close and feel the Fae that shouldn't be everything to her still.

On the outside, she was as professional as she could manage. She inhaled a shaky breath, closed her magazine, and rose from her desk.

"You look good." Bo unconsciously licked her lips when Lauren's labcoat shifted and opened, revealing a tight, baby blue v-neck shirt.

Lauren shook her head. "Don't."

"Sorry. Look, Lauren, I- made a mistake. I-"

"I said don't. Let's just administer the antidote."

Touching Bo again, even if only to find a vein to inject her solution, felt like coming home even after her indiscretion. When Bo shivered under her touch, Lauren felt an undeniable urge to continue the trail of her fingers along her arm.

But, she was stronger than that. She had resolve that was never really easy to break until the succubus came into her life. In fact, that was the only thing that still could dissolve her if she was really pressed.

Lauren cleared her throat hoping that action would help in clearing her unwelcome thoughts.

"This shouldn't hurt," Lauren said, her voice soft.

"I am a big girl."

It took ten minutes to give Bo a series of shots, including one she made special for succubi genetics, to fix what the Phooka had given them. Ten minutes of Bo shifting in her seat while looking at the doctor with a mix of longing and heartbreak.

Near the end of her visit, Megan walked into the lab with a large coffee and an apologetic smile.

"Aren't you on your lunch break, Megan?" Lauren asked, genuinely confused.

"Yes, but there is a line forming outside for the antidote. They are waiting for clearance to this wing. I was hoping we could get my boyfriend in first. And myself," Megan said. The harpy looked at her feet and flushed red with embarrassment.

The doctor waved her hand and said, "That's fine. I'm just finished with Bo. Send him in."

The line trickled in, Light Fae by Light Fae. Despite the addition of her on-call medical crew, the visits kept her injecting her solutions until ten in the evening. The thought of returning home wasn't all too welcoming knowing that the day would likely repeat itself the next morning. The call of her bed, though, was sounding like the best damn thing the world had to offer.

She collected her leather jacket after she gratefully shook her lab coat off, not bothering to hang it up in her cabinet in her office. She was nearing the the door to exit her lab but Hale stood in the hallway. He held a small pile of papers in hand.

He smiled at her.

"Ash. Evening."

"Leaving, Lauren?"

"Probably not anymore." She forced her a smile. "How can I help, Ash?"

"Lauren, please. Call me Hale when it's just us."

"Megan is still here."

"Megan," Hale drawled. "Ah, yes. The intern." He turned toward the harpy and gave a slight nod. "Evening, Megan."

"Evening, Ash."

"What's with the papers, Hale?" Lauren questioned as she walked toward her office and sat in her chair. Hale followed and remained standing as he placed his files onto her desk.

"I need you to sign off on this. No need to perform the actual tests since they are for human clearance anyway. They need to be at the station by tomorrow morning."

The doctor only nodded and didn't return Hale's mumbled goodbye. She only looked at the file labled 'Dyson Thornwood' and 'Travel Approval.'

Lauren remained as calm and as passive as she could manage as she signed each line as his general physician.

Megan had the task of turning off the medical equipment while Lauren finished signing off her paperwork. Once the harpy finished, she approached the doctor.

"Doctor Lewis?" Megan asked.

"Hmm?" Lauren responded distractedly.

"The crew and I are heading out for dinner at Athenian. Would you like to join?"

Lauren looked up. "The Greek restaurant downtown?"

"That's the one."

"No," Lauren smiled. "Thank you, but I'm afraid that isn't on my pre-approved list, and I'd hate to bother The Ash at this time of night. Have fun."

Dyson's neatly stacked papers announcing a two-week vacation from his human occupation were signed for the most part. There were so many formalities with this precinct, and she had to explain away his rash in long paragraph claiming flea infestation at his residence (she knew he wouldn't like this route, but she felt it somewhat justified anyway). She assured his recent bruises and scuffles from his latest cases were not life-threatening for their insurance purposes. All that she had left were the papers indicating he had passed all the necessary human medical tests for international travel. The ending notes indicated that the Light Fae cleared Bo Dennis for travel companionship. Seeing as Hale had just been announced as permanent Ash, this was not surprising (they were paying for the tickets, after all).

* * *

"Fleas, Lauren, really?" Dyson asked. He flicked the papers away from him and leaned back against his chair.

The office was busy and full of activity. The phones ringing in the distance, the smell of fresh brewed coffee, and the low murmur of the precincts occupants were all so delightfully cliché, and Lauren found it amusing. The chaos was the exact opposite of her controlled environment. Even her own version of chaos offered less disorganization than the display on Dyson's desk alone.

"What? Is that too close to home, Dyson? I know for a fact that even wolf-shifters aren't immune to fleas should they stay in their animal form for long periods of time. I know you've gone in long retreats in the past few years."

"It doesn't have to be like this, Lauren. We have to work together, so we have to learn to be civil despite our personal grudges." Dyson said.

"So, I'm beyond upset and not overtly friendly this morning. You have a lot of nerve after what you did. Not to mention I had to spend long hours last night dealing with the promiscuous Fae, and that isn't conducive for a bright mood, Dyson."

The wolf-shifter lifted his eyebrows.

"I," Lauren sighed. "I didn't mean it to come out like that."

"Sure."

"I'm sure you have everything you need." Lauren turned to walk off.

"What about Bo?" Dyson asked.

"I added her papers just in case she needed a physician for her travels with you."

"I'll take care of her." He said. His eyes were soft, and Lauren hated him for it.

"I know. But it doesn't make this any easier for me."

"I'd say I was sorry, but.."

"I was the same before." Lauren stated and walked out to head to her lab.

* * *

The day past by in an excruciatingly slow pace, and the patients weren't entirely warm to the doctors, especially the human Chief of staff.

Lauren practically sprinted toward her bottle of chablis once she reached her loft. She had a glass in one hand while the other held a book. The fireplace was roaring with steady crackles, adding to the relaxing atmosphere. It reminded Lauren of better days with Nadia in her youthful pursuit of a medical degree. Lauren would study meticulously in front a fireplace while Nadia distracted her every two hours with temptation that Lauren was all too willing to accept. The fireplace was one of the only things that kept her spirit high during her first year of captivity.

A few knocks on her door interrupted her favorite stanza and caused her to nearly drop her drink. She glanced at the clock that told her it was just past eleven. She furrowed her brows as she placed her items on her coffee table and hesitantly approached her door.

"Tamsin?" She asked once she opened the door. She opened the door wider and gasped once she took in the sight of all of the blonde in front of her.

"Sup, Doc? I may have some boo-boos here." Tamsin said. She wobbled a little until she gained purchase on the doorway.

"God, what happened? Here," Lauren said. She offered her shoulder for support and helped her to the nearby seat, not caring that Tamsin was bleeding onto the fabric.

"Oh you, know. Walked into the wrong end of a pointy stick." The valkyrie laughed and then coughed at that action. "Ow. Fuck. Okay, laughing is a no go."

"This isn't something to make light of. I'll grab my medical bag. I'll be right back."

Tamsin kept her eyes on Lauren as she calmly gathered her supplies. It took Lauren a few minutes to assess her situation, clean her wounds, and determine they were superficial and in no need of a visit to her lab.

"You should be more careful," Lauren whispered.

"Not my style, Doc. No one can keep this bad-ass to tame into a lame-ass kitten." Tamsin shifted in her chair and winced at the pain.

"Here," Lauren said as she offered two pills. "It's a strong form of an opiate derivative specifically modified for Fae genetics in general."

"Damn. You've been holding out on the good stuff?" Tamsin raised her eyebrows in amusement.

"Not to be used recreationally. You're staying the night on this couch."

"Nuh-uh. I can take care of myself." She shook her head.

"Well, the pills you took are going to render you unconscious in about half an hour."

The night passed without further interruption, and Lauren got to finish the poetry book she was reading. The chablis certainly didn't go to waste.

"The fuck am I wearing?!" Tamsin asked. Her voice was raspy and slurry with sleep.

"Good morning to you, too, Office Warwick." Lauren stopped typing at her workstation and gave her visitor a sizing glance. "You're wearing my pajamas. I wouldn't very well have you sleep in jeans and leather with those type of bandages."

"Did you undress me while I was zonked? I missed all that fun?" Tamsin joked. She looked down at herself in ridiculous pajamas. "Are these germs on these bottoms?"

"Microbial designs were a thing for me in college. And you were awake. Slightly out of it from the opiates, but you were a willing participant. In fact, you thought that particular design was  _'rad.'_ "

"Whatever. Never speak of this, ever."

"Give me a few minutes to finish up this report and I'll take a look at your healing progress."

"Where is your T.V.?"

"Why would I have a television?" Lauren replied as she furrowed her eyebrows.

Tamsin groaned and ran her fingers through her hair. She didn't remember taking it down. A part of her panicked at the thought of having her hair touched. Despite not minding the doctor's company and being cared for medically, she felt wary and intrusive.

"Thanks, uh.. for the medical stuff. I am not exactly in good terms with the Morrigan, and she probably would have had Hanz turn me away last night."

"Hanz?"

"New Dark Fae Doctor."

"What? What happened with Doctor Freis?"

"Evony killed him."

Lauren blinked. She actually hated that guy, but no ones death pleased her. Her hands flew to her mouth as she let out a gasp.

"Hey, this is gonna sound a little weird, " Tamsin began. Her eyes darted to the ground before re-establishing eye contact. "But..I was wondering if you took my hair down last night, because I don't remember doing it."

"Well, seeing as you're a Valkyrie, I think that's a very relevant question. No, you did that when you put those pajamas on."

Tamsin's eyes widened. "How the hell do you know that I'm a Valkyrie?"

Lauren flinched, and Tamsin noticed.

_Shit,_  she thought. The startled look on the doctor's face didn't settle well on her stomach. She hated when girls cried in front of her, but they usually didn't pull at her like this.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine. I get it. And you told me last night right after you said I was pretty."

"I didn't mean that."

_Fuck me and my big fucking mouth_ , she cursed internally.

Lauren chuckled. "Be that as it may, I wouldn't touch your hair after that. I have never met another of your kind, but I am knowledgeable on most Fae."

"Speaking of, how did you find a cure?"

"I asked."

"The  _fuck?_ " Tamsin asked.

Lauren's entire demeanor shifted, starting with her eyes. They swirled with excitement and gleamed with pride. It was then that the valkyrie noticed the unique chocolate hue of her irises, like darkened honey. Her smile turned into something she hadn't seen on the doctor before. Lauren responded to her question, "It's really quite Genius. The Phookah are naturally peaceful wood folk. Aside from their hoofs and antlers, they hadn't been much of a threat to the world. So, of course, they turned to earth magic to defend their kind."

Tamsin scoffed and quirked an eyebrow. "Earth magic? You're telling me some fucking magic mushroom caused this shit?"

"Fungi. And, magic, yes. Sort of. The term is used so freely these days." Lauren rolled her eyes, but her smile was still present, and it made Tamsin want smile back at her. But she didn't.

"Whatever. Are you gonna tell me what you did to get the  _'cure?'_ "

"I asked one of the Phooka elders for the items they used so that I may create the antidote." She stated it so matter-of-factly. Like this was a normal request. Like humans just asked some supposed mythical creature for a cure.

"I don't get you," Tamsin blurted.

Lauren titled her head and did furrowed her eyebrows together.

"Pardon?"

Tamsin stood in her microbe-what-the-fuck-ever pants, in a Light Fae  _property's_  property, her stomach stirring with proverbial butterflies, and she just couldn't fathom why someone would let this girl go.

But, the valkyrie just doesn't do feelings, and certainly not with a human on the wrong fucking side.

So, she said her goodbyes a little too hurriedly and with minimal eye contact.


	5. Chapter 5

People can and often will puff out their chests in seemingly abundant bravado. They'd send smug smirks toward their preferred gender in their attempts at flirtation. Lauren, being a physically attractive woman, had been on the receiving of these attempts too many times to count. More often than not, however, Lauren had been the confident, female Lothario in both undergrad and med school. She'd use her sharp tongue in intelligent pick-up lines, which sadly flew over the flirtee's head most of the time.

Over time, she'd manage to score with one hair flip and to seal the deal.

Most of the college girls fumbled over their words and had to wipe the figurative drool from their faces if she took to them. It was rare to have her bed empty if she really wanted company.

* * *

_"You're like an exothermic reaction; you spread your hotness everywhere!"_

_Nadia scoffed, put her drink down, swirled in her booth chair, and balked at the person in front of her._

_"Please, please tell me you're joking." Nadia raised an eyebrow in challenge._

_The blonde stepped forward, allowing the overhead light to fully pronounce the contours of her face._

_Nadia blinked. The girl in front of her was beautiful._

_"Well," the blonde licked her lips and cocked her head to the side. "I don't kid when it comes to female appreciation. As I said, and in much better terms I might add, you're extremely pleasing to view and far too pretty to be drinking alone in campus bar."_

_"I'm sure I'll survive," Nadia said dryly. The girl may be attractive, but Nadia was no easy catch. Besides, she knew the type this girl was if the cheesy pick-up line had anything to offer._

_"Some miscreant might take liberties and hit on you," the blonde added playfully, lifting an eyebrow of her own._

_"Like you?"_

_"Oh, please, if anything I'm vigilante."_

_"How do you manage to be confident, nerdy, and geeky all in a thirty second span?" Nadia asked. She squinted her eyes in mock suspicion, but she couldn't hide her amusement that curled the corner of her lips into a small grin._

_"I am an excellent multi-tasker. And, hey, I am not a nerd nor a geek. I just happen to be well versed in pop culture. Plus, I'm, like, scary smart."_

_"Pop culture, eh? So, you like to have Buffy marathons with your geek friends and read Batman in your basement?"_

_"More like discuss the sapphic undertones in Xena: Warrior Princess."_

_"See? Geek."_

_"You're the one who brought up Buffy, which, as I understand, is the epitome of geekdom. I'll admit to knowing that Joss Whedon throws in pop culture references in each episode a billion times. It's like yeast."_

_"Excuse me? What did you just-"_

_"Like bread."_

_"Are you high? Oh god, you are a stoner miscreant."_

_"I doubt a true miscreant would be motivated enough while on high on marijauna to accomplish anything remotely criminal. But, yeast is an essential component in bread. In order to rise-"_

_"Like a vampire."_

_"Dear God, you're the geek here!"_

_"What? You said yeast, bread, Buffy, rise."_

_"I was merely suggesting that the pop culture in Whedonverses are akin to the yeast in bread. It is imperative for the end result, for the success."_

_"You know, Joss totally knocked that hypothesis out of the park with Hush."_

_"See, you're the geek."_

_"And you've just caused my beer to warm up."_

_"Allow me to replace it. I'm Lauren."_

* * *

It took five years of verbal and physical abuse to grate her confidence and dull the spark that Nadia became to love.

Lauren thought the spark had faded to nothing until a succubus came alone to pry it out of her.

Then, it took all of five seconds of uncovering her girlfriend's infidelity to dull that particular spark back down.

Lauren wasn't dense. She knew when she was being hit on; she did more than her share of it. She may not be the hot little thing in med school anymore, but she prided herself in keeping in vigorous shape, especially after her stint in Afghanistan. She had been subjected to years of advances from other fae in the form of baby fae in her lab to drunken trolls and fairies (literally) in the Dal.

So, when Tamsin slurred from the couch that she didn't know why Bo would leave someone who was  _"so fucking pretty"_ for a  _"shifter who probably licks his own balls as a wolf,"_  Lauren found herself at a loss for words. She just gaped like a fish for a few seconds and it took her longer to gain her composure and stop blushing. She chastised herself but was grateful that Tamsin wasn't going to remain in a conscious state much longer.

Tamsin's rushed goodbye was slightly confusing, especially since Tamsin had left without her token blue leather jacket and jeans. Lauren didn't know what to think.

Ten minutes.

That's how long Lauren had been sitting at her computer that sat atop the meticulously cleaned and organized lab adjacent to the kitchen in her loft. After Tamsin abruptly left, she stood confused by her fireplace for a full minute before she decided to not dwell on what just happened. Or rather, what didn't happen. It was all so baffling.

She took the soiled clothes, minus the leather jacket, and threw them into her biohazard-cleaning machine.

That was all half an hour ago. And now, she sat at her desk, staring at a recent lab report on her computer and a notepad in front of her. Not that she had been productive in that area anyway; she read the same numbers five times without fully committing them to her memory. There was something in the way Tamsin had looked at her just moments before she left, a ghost of an emotion she couldn't quite pin-point, but it was haunting all the same. Whether the haunting was a good or a bad thing was a completely different venue all together. Even more tangled were the roads of her emotional stability when it came to rules of attraction.

She rationalized that she was single and allowed to let herself be flattered and enjoy it, even if it would never, could never amount to anything. Not that she was anywhere near feeling anything but mild flattery. Things with Bo were muddled about in her head. While still undeniably attracted to her and could still feel the pull of invisible strings, she couldn't move passed thinking of Dyson's hands on places she had her lips upon just hours prior.

She doubted her assumptions to be correct. Maybe Tamsin was just socially inept that she felt uncomfortable with a Light Fae slave while in a vulnerable position. Not to mention, she could technically get into a good deal of trouble for just being in her quarters without direct permission or without a Light Fae member with some authority. Like Dyson.

Dyson.

Lauren clenched her jaw at the thought of him and gripped her fingers around the pen she had been mindlessly twirling. She supposed she could see the attraction from a distant perspective. If she titled her head just the right way and squinted her eyes to narrow her vision she might be able to see whatever the hell it was girls managed see in him. Physically, she thought, he was the picture-perfect manifestation of masculinity: from this chiseled jaw with a few days worth of scruff, nicely sculpted body that she had to appreciate as a doctor, to his deep, rumbling voice.

But, then he would open his mouth and spew statements and suggestions laced with arrogance and superiority.

And he did things as a knight-in-shining armor. Lauren was positive he had some sort of hero complex.

* * *

Everything was familiar, yet not.

Familiarity coursed through her as she fled the scene of Lauren's loft; she was no stranger to leaving the house of a woman or the lingering scent on her that was much different to her own, but the circumstances were much different. She didn't leave the bodily warmth of a woman; she left the warmth of a fireplace. She didn't smell of Lauren after a night of sex; she smelled of whatever laundry detergent was used on those ridiculous fucking pajamas.

Germs pajamas.

Of course Lauren would give her fucking germs as a design pattern on pants. Lauren didn't resonate on the same, boring frequency as most of the humans she had encountered. Much like the set of clothing, Lauren didn't seem to follow along the standards of the human equation of simplicity. Instead of a simple equation, she was strings of infinite possibilities.

There was a certain type of understanding she felt as she gazed at stained-honey colored eyes, a warmth that shouldn't… _couldn't_ be there. There were at least three immediate reasons why she couldn't seek into this understanding.

Tamsin was a fae who could bring upon an ocean of self-doubt or fear in a heartbeat. But, a mystery nicely packaged and covered with blonde hair, managed to swirl her stomach about and start an inferno of.. _something_. She had never been on the receiving end of a valkyrie's pull, but she did know it was incredibly invasive. It was like she tore open a person's soul to peer at the most vulnerable aspects of their entire being. And she strummed that chord, the very foundation of them, and they would crumble. So, to have someone look at her with such intensity, to cause a pull in her she hadn't experienced in centuries, was pushing her toward the edge of dismantled. It felt like her chest was desperately trying to suck in air that didn't exist anymore.

She ran from Lauren's place to the seedy hotel she was renting by the week and immediately dropped onto the bed.

It'd been a while since had spent more than a few hours at her place. Usually, she'd eat some awful take-out before drinking herself into a dreamless sleep. So, she wasn't surprised the room now had a mushroomy, stale stench to it. The room itself was like a scattered puzzle. Pieces were in areas it didn't belong: a box of wine was balanced delicately on a windowsill, and her clothing was strewn along the dingy, brown couch. It wasn't like it really mattered. Tamsin rarely spent time in the place. Truthfully, she felt her truck offered far more comfort than the bed, and fuck knows when management last cleaned the room, but the motel offered running water and clean towels. She'd lived on less, so what if she lived in a shit hole?

She sat up and felt her skin prickle with pain. She looked down and saw blood seep through the shirt she was wearing. Her rush home must have torn the bandages and agitated her wound.

She was more upset that she'd just ruined the shirt Lauren lent her.

Wincing in annoyance more than the pain, she shifted and reached into her bra for her phone, dialed a number.

It was picked up after three rings.

" _This is Dr. Lewis. May I ask who is calling?"_

"Yeah, Doc. Listen, I didn't mean to just bail like that. I gotta work today, so can you bring my clothes to me at the Dal tonight? Say – seven?"

" _I can't promise you anything, but I will do my best. This is your cell phone number?"_

"Yup."

" _Okay. I don't mean to be abrupt, but I was just heading out the door."_

"No worries. See ya."

She dialed another number after Lauren disconnected.

" _Good morning, Officer Tamsin. I'm off for a few weeks starting today, didn't you get my email?"_

"What?" She growled. " _No,_  nuh uh, you cannot leave me with your damn cases, Dyson."

" _What do you want, Tamsin?"_

"Just," She bite off a curse. "Look, just give me a ride to the station."

When Dyson arrived, Tamsin titled her head and raised her eyebrows.

"Aw, you didn't have to get all dolled up for lil ole me," She quipped, amused.

His hair was disheveled but matted at the sides of his head. She knew he had been sweating because his white t-shirt was clinking to his abs and sweat stains painted around the collar are and under the armpits. Dyson's eyebrows were newly gashed, and the left side of his face sported a black eye.

"Nice shiner. Trouble in paradise?" Tamsin said as she slipped into the passenger's side.

"Just had to let out a little steam at the rings is all," he replied as he sniffed, exaggeratedly, and glared at Tamsin.

"You smell like Lauren."

"Don't get your panties in a twist. She bandaged me up. Some fuckers jumped me outside the Dal and she's closer. Gotta say, the Doc's got balls. She drugged me."

"Christ, what the hell are you wearing?"

"Don't ask. Really, just don't go there."

* * *

The sound of shattering glass jerked Kenzi out of her deep slumber, causing her to land on the floor with a harsh ' _thud'_  beside the couch. As her nose grazed something matted and smelly, she thought maybe they ought to take Hotpants' advice and have the ugly shag carpet thrown away. Or burned. Better keep the people of world safe from the fuzzy abomination. But it was free, so it wasn't  _that_ bad.

Living with a supernatural being hadn't really changed her frame of mind when it came to fight-or-flight responses; it just defined it in a whole new level. It changed the levels from simple human damage, like a break-in, to fire fae and headless horsemen. As soon as she took a second to gather her thoughts, her instinct and muscle memory kicked in gear as she reached for the baseball bat she kept under the couch and crouched with the weapon in batting position as she looked around.

She was about to head toward the kitchen for the throwing knifes Bo liked to use as cutlery when she heard a distant, _"God fucking damn it!"_

"Oh, tits." Kenzi sighed. That was Bo's angry, hell-bent curses, not  _oh-shit-I'm-in-trouble_  curses.

" _Hate you and your stupid, stupid scruffy-face. Ah!"_

Kenzi puffed out her cheeks as she blew out a mouthful of air, preparing herself for what sounded like a rough day if the continued banging and crashing sounds were any indication. She stretched her arms lazily and smiled as she realized she had been spared a hangover.

"Go Kenzi-liver," she whispered to herself.

After finding her slippers, she walked toward the ruckus outside the crack shack. Pieces of glass lay in a four-foot radius around Bo who was gripping a small hammer while she brought her arm down again and again on a huge computer monitor.

"Bo, sweetie, let's just put the tiny weapon down and talk about why you're interrupting my beauty sleep."

Bo stopped, the hammer frozen in mid-air, and threw what was probably supposed to be a disgruntled glare, but it looked more pathetic than threatening. She turned around to face Kenzi. The adrenaline faded quickly and only then did she notice the red trails of liquid painting the wooden handle in her hand and trickling down her arm on the last upswing.

"I'm in therapy here!"

"I can  _see_  that. Holy shit-balls, Bo. You fucked up your hands!"

"Yeah. I can feel it now. Ow."

"So," Kenzi began. "Who's balls are we busting this time?"

Bo shot her an incredulous look. "Who else would it be?"

"D-man?"

"I. Should. Cut. His. Manhood," Bo shouted and started hitting the monitor again, punctuating each word with a hard crash. "Off. He-he-I  _swear._  I'll.."

"What, you didn't catch him balls deep someone else again, did you? Cuz I will seriously-"

Bo stopped and tossed the bloodied hammer on the ground and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Holy shit, did you?"

"No, he went and booked us flights to the damn Bahamas, Kenzi," Bo shouted and clenched her jaw as she reeled her emotions. She was starting to feel her control slip and her rage rise. Bo felt the shift from the dark shade of brown to the vibrant blue that her hunger caused. Rage had always been a reactor to her hunger, and today was no different. She looked toward Kenzi and saw the calm burning of her neutral aura. It had been a while since she fed. She closed her eyes and forced the building heat of her hunger before her best friend caught on.

"And the Bahamas..are..evil?" Kenzi asked. Her eyes were wide with confusion. "Am I missing something?" Really, this sounded awesome to Kenzi. She'd never been outside of Ontario. Bahamas? Hells yeah! "And by ' _us'_  you mean you and him? Or just me and you?"

Bo huffed.

"No- me and  _him_. Like, he expects me to just ride off into the sunset with him like a freakin' damsel in distress."

"Well you are in distress a lot," Kenzi murmured. Her face fell. She was hoping maybe she would be included in a free trip with booze and, hello, the Bahamas.

Bo growled and threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.

"And he didn't even  _ask_. He just walked up with his stupid vest and smug, prickly face and said, 'Hello, Bo. We're going on vacation. Get packed up by tomorrow,'"she mocked, lowering her voice register. "Who does that, Kenzi? And where did I throw that fucking hammer!"

"That doesn't sound like a bad surprise, Bo. So, your boyfriend wants to take you on a romantic trip. Chin, up, babe," Kenzi said.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Here we go: fae soap opera."

"And I don't even have a freakin' passport! And I don't like flying! A huge chunk of metal in the air? "

"You can fight a garuda, but you're afraid to fly?"

"Can we be serious here, Kenz?" Bo deflated and felt the anger dissipate and she was left feeling ashamed at her outburst. Her lips formed a pout.

Kenzi thought she looked like a wounded puppy, complete with welled tears.

"Are you having a meltdown?" Kenzi asked. Her voice softened with that sentence as she remembered the last time Bo smashed an inanimate object to pieces, but that was at Kenzi's insistence. She guessed it was because there was no car to smash this time around that they now had to find a new monitor.

"I-I just. He. How could-how. God damn it." Bo blinked in an attempt to hold back the threat of glowing eyes clicking back into her being.

She failed, and Kenzi knew then that this was more than just a small fight.

"Honey, calm down. Let's get your hands all fixed up," Kenzi soothed as she walked toward the succubus slowly.

Bo was struggling with something, and Kenzi had an inkling that she might just go Super-SuccuBo any minute, and that crashed the reminder that Bo still  _is_  a supernatural being with an undetermined amount of power.

Bo shook her head and walked toward her car. Even on the rocks and the rocky ground with her heels, she still swayed and walked with a predatory grace. With a sudden, newfound confidence and without a backwards glance, she declared, "I need to see Lauren."

"What? What does Hotpants have to do with this?"

"She thinks I'm going with him. Something about clearance papers she had to sign."

Kenzi, still in her fuzzy black slippers, trailed behind her friend.

"Well, shit," she hissed.

Bo was cursing and hitting the steering wheel the entire ride to Lauren's office. Kenzi offered the occasional, "Hurry up, I'm  _starving_ " as she let Bo blow out the steam Dyson had caused.

When they actually got to the lab, Bo's anger vanished in seconds as soon as she saw dozens of uniformed fae (she assumed anyway since they were at the Light Fae headquarters) dressed in medical scrubs and EMT-like clothing. And bodies. Dozens of bodies were being carried in on stretchers. The medical crew was shouting out orders, numbers, and acronyms Bo couldn't understand. She didn't even think it was English.

"Oh, God," Bo whispered, and her thoughts immediately went to Lauren and her safety. She looked at Kenzi who's eyes were wide, taking in the bloody and chaotic scene before them.

"Maybe this is a bad time?" Kenzi breathed out.

"No, what if Lauren is hurt? What if something happened _here_?"

"Bo, if something happened  _here_  wouldn't the medical dudes be carrying them  _out_?"

Bo nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I still need to see her to make sure."

No one seemed to notice, and if they did they didn't seem to care, when Bo and Kenzi walked into the compound and then to the medical lab itself.

"If I see a dead body, I'll barf," Kenzi said just as Bo spotted Lauren.

"Lauren!" Bo shouted. She walked toward the backend of the lab where Lauren was leaning over a little girl.

"Oh my god," Bo whispered, her eyes trailing over a tiny body. "Is she gonna be okay?"

Lauren looked up and her surprised to see Bo wasn't lost; her eyebrows lifted up and her whole body tensed underneath her lab coat.

"Bo? What are you- are you hurt?" Lauren took in the length of Bo in search of any sign of injury and moved to get a closer look at her damaged hands.

"No, I'm fine. Just got in a fight with some glass. I'll heal. What happened?"

"A fae clan got attacked while on a camping retreat. No word on what attacked them, but I haven't had time to really inspect the bite marks," Lauren stated. She took a deep breath of air and sighed. "I am really sorry, but I need to attend to these patients. Can this wait?"

"S-sure. I'll uh-I'll see you around. Dal maybe?"

Lauren hesitated, but she was rushed and she would have to sort out whatever it was Bo wanted later. Not wanting to commit to a verbal agreement, she just gave her a single, curt nod.

* * *

Lauren suspected Trick had some form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder because he had been cleaning the same cups for the last five minutes. The errant thought of fae mental illnesses intrigued her while she continued to watch Trick move from his cups to the bar top. There hadn't been enough customers tonight to warrant frequent bar wipes. At least not as many wipes as Trick was now giving it. There had been a few times in her captivity that she entertained the notion of many fae having a completely, uncharted dimension of mental illnesses, and it sparked the scientist nerd in her. But, her passions weren't in that particular field.

"I can feel you staring at me, you know." Trick said. He stopped his movements and gave Lauren a questioning look.

"Sorry, Trick. I'm just exhausted, and I blanked. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay. Can I, uh, get you another drink?"

"Please," she answered and gave him a small smile.

"Hey, human! Starting without me I see."

Lauren looked to her left at the sound of Tamsin's voice. She noted the cocked eyebrow and the smirk now directed at her. Clearly, she was alluding to their first encounter, which was at the exact spot they both occupied.

"Evening, Officer Warwick. I wasn't aware there was going to be a conversation, honestly. Would you like for me to order you a drink?"

Tamsin searched her Lauren's eyes, looking the a hint of something, anything. But all she found was a blankness that came with professionalism.

"Got my own," she answered as she pulled her flask out.

"You brought a flask to a bar?"

"No, I bring a flask to my everywhere. Never know when you need to get tanked," Tamsin replied, her face set seriously.

Lauren blinked.

"Are you always like this?"

"Like what?"

"Blunt and on the edge of crass."

"You forgot  _'hilarious'_  but yes. Problem, Doc?" Tamsin asked, her tone playful.

"Oh, No. Not at all."

"Got my stuff?"

"Yes," Lauren replied. She reached downward toward her feet and brought up a plastic bag.

Tamsin took the bag and peeked through it, saw the contents, and threw Lauren a confused and questioning look.

"It's clean."

"Of course. Why would I give them back otherwise?"

Tamsin chuckled and shook her head.

"People don't usually do things unless they have something in it for them."

"I didn't- I don't. I don't want anything from you. You don't owe me anything."

"Yeah, I do," Tamsin sighed. She averted her eyes "You bandaged me up and let me stay the night. That's. That was really nice of you. So, thanks or whatever."

Lauren smiled and shrugged. "It's no problem. Really."

"Lauren?" Lauren recognized Bo's voice and instantly angled her body toward her.

She gulped. Bo was stunning in her skin-tight leather pants and a top that accentuated every tantalizing curve. It was her favorite. She felt her stomach swirl with desire and heat build in areas Bo was well acquainted with. She took in the expanse of the smooth skin, the dip of her clavicle, and that damn smug smirk. Lauren knew Bo was keenly aware of the affect she was having on her, and Lauren felt anger and embarrassment both brew within her.

Bo felt Lauren's gaze on her, and she loved Lauren like this: awestruck and aura swirling about her in a burning heat.

When Lauren cleared her throat, Bo allowed herself to notice Tamsin standing to the side, and she frowned. Tamsin's aura didn't flatter her in its neutral flame of a soft blue.

Tamsin lifted her brows, gave Lauren a silent 'cheers' and walked away as she said, "See ya later, Doc. Hi, Bo. Bye, Bo."

Bo didn't say a word as Tamsin walked past her. She only stepped closer toward Lauren and asked, "Wanna sit at the couch or at a booth?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Lauren said. She hated that she couldn't control her reactions, not with Bo looking like  _that_ , in the shirt she knew she loved.

"Oh," Bo said, her voice soft.

"What do you need, Bo?" Lauren asked. Her voice sounded tired- like she was tired  _of her_ , and Bo's stomach fell.

"I know you signed off on some papers for Dyson, and I just want you to know that it isn't what it looks like."

Lauren laughed humorlessly as she shook her head in a slight motion. "Bo, you really don't owe me an explanation. It's none of my business what you do with your time. Or who you choose to spend it with."

"I didn't even know what he was planning! I didn't plan a vacation with Dyson!" Bo stressed. She reached out and grabbed Lauren's hand that had been on her knees, but they were yanked away at the touch. This felt like a punch to Bo's stomach.

"That isn't my problem. I don't want to hear about what you two do or plan or fight about, Bo. Please, just," Lauren started. She licked her lips and thought for a moment before finishing her sentence with, "I need time. If you cared about me..at all.. just give me time."

Bo's eyes welled up with tears and she stepped closer to Lauren and cupped her cheek with her right hand. Lauren batted her hand away, but Bo replaced it a moment later, and she placed her other hand on Lauren's shoulder. The secondary touch stilled Lauren, and Bo took this as encouragement to continue.

Bo saw Lauren's aura soar higher at the touch, but she was shocked when it went away just as fast at it arrived.

"Lauren," Bo choked out.

Lauren's eyes pooled with unshed tears, and her nostrils flaired in an effort to keep them in.

"Lauren, I don't want Dyson. I made a choice, and I choose you."

"Don't. Bo, Just don't."

"I made a mistake, baby. I made a huge mistake, and I am so sorry. I will never make that mistake again. I promise. And," Bo said, her tears finding their way down her cheek. "I will spend the rest of our time together making it up to you."

"Stop, Bo. Please," Lauren pleaded.

"I love you, Lauren."

"Stop."

"Don't you miss me?" Bo brought her lips to Lauren's cheek in a small kiss and let her mouth linger on her skin as she trailed smaller kisses toward her ear.

"Bo…" Lauren breathed out in a pant.

"Don't you love me? Because I've miss all of you," Bo whispered against the shell of her ear, and she grinned when she felt Lauren shiver. She was delighted at the heat of the aura now surrounding her. Addicted and drunk on Lauren's aura, she ghosted her fingertips to Lauren's neck and pulsed desire from her being.

Lauren threw her head back, offering more skin, and moaned when she felt the second wave of pure ecstasy gave her.

_Wait._

_Wait._

_No, Bo._

_Stop. Stop._

She realized she wasn't voicing her thoughts. She couldn't because her mouth was covered by Bo's lips.


	6. Chapter 6

Lauren was burning hot underneath skilled fingers. Bo had occasionally used her powers on her, but it was never like this, never this powerful, and never more than a few pulses. She felt like she was on the cusp of an orgasm, and she couldn't help the noises she made into the kiss. Bo's tongue traced the bottom of her lip and allowed for another pulse to travel from her tongue.

Lauren was utterly lost, and her willpower was skating at the edges of her mind desperately trying to gain control.

The succubus, in full predator mode, was infinitely delighted. It was like coming home. The smooth skin was addictive, had always been addictive. The added sounds of soft whimpering was dizzying, and it amplified the familiar heat of hunger build within her as if she were starving. She didn't think about how wrong using her succubus powers on Lauren was. Her resolve was decreasing and the grip of Lauren's fist in her hair did little to her conscience. Lauren was there, and she was letting her kiss her.

Bo smirked, victorious, when she felt Lauren tremble and arch further into her grasp. She leaned downward to taste the new sheen of sweat on the human neck but was hastily pulled backward and landed on the floor with a bang.

"What the hell?" Bo demanded angrily. She straightened herself upright and advanced toward Tamsin who looked absolutely furious.

The bar patrons were now facing the source of the scuffle. A few backed away once they saw the infamous, unaligned succubus with perfect, glowing blue eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tamsin questioned. She calmly inched closer to Lauren and stood protectively in front of her.

Irritated that Tamsin would get inbetween what was hers, Bo growled, "Minding my own damn business, that's for damn sure. You should do the same. Lauren and I-"

"Are done," Bo heared Lauren declare shakily.

Bo set her eyes, suddenly full of hurt, on her ex-girlfriend. Nothing made sense. "What?"

"We're done, Bo," Lauren said tersely.

"Ouch," responded Tamsin with a smug smile on her face.

Bo shook her head. "But-"

"Look, I know you succubi love to play with your food, but Lauren didn't want to be played with this time."

"How would you know? She was- I – I felt her aura!"

"No. You used your powers on me after I said no," Lauren responded through clenched jaws. She was furious, and Bo saw just how much she was wrong in seducing her just then.

Lauren wiped her mouth on the back of her hand before turning to Tamsin to say "I can't .. Tamsin will you take me home?"

Tamsin furrowed her eyebrows before turning to Bo to give her a hard-set glare. "Of course. One bodyguard coming up."

A sullen Bo watched the two blondes head out the door. She started to follow but felt a heavy hand rest on her shoulder.

"Let it go, Bo." Dyson turned her around and looked into her eyes. His own pair swirled in hurt, letting Bo know he had seen the whole thing.

She pushed past him and sat on the stool she was yanked from and ordered a drink from Trick.

* * *

 

Lauren walked briskly down the sidewalk with Tamsin hesitantly trailing a few steps behind. The valkyrie muttered a few quiet curses into the cold night, upset with yet another night cut short by Bo's dramatics. First the station and now the Dal. It was seriously killing her buzz.

There was something that made her stomach churn at the sight of Bo's lips on Lauren's, and she couldn't just ignore that or the request to accompany the human outside.

"Yo, Doc. You don't need a bodyguard, do you?" Tamsin asked, cocking her head.

Lauren hummed and halted. She shook her head and made another dismissive, closed-mouth noise.

"I can take care of myself. I, did, however want to get you out of there before you made Trick's insurance policy hit the roof, so to speak."

"Please. Bo's not a threat."

Lauren looked at her, and god, there is that feeling again whenever Lauren's gaze seemed to see right through her. Tamsin cleared her throat and shifted her weight to one foot to the other.

"She's impulsive. That in itself causes enough damage," Lauren stated in a soft, yet bold manner. She turned back toward her destination.

Tamsin couldn't see her face anymore, but as soon as Lauren had continued to walk, she felt the emotions the world never got to see – Lauren's undeniable pain. Pain of betrayal, regret, heartbreak. It was almost too much to bare. And the thought of hurting Lauren more was the only factor that had stopped her from fully attacking Bo for causing this much hurt.

Tamsin buckled and spoke before thinking, "How the hell do you even…" She trailed off and held her head between her palms. Her breathing came in quick pants, and the rush of her heartbeat was deafening.

In seconds, Lauren was beside her and lifted Tamsin's chin to get a glimpse of the valkyrie's face.

"I need to you focus on something else. Think about Dyson if you have to."

"You tryin'... to make... me barf, doc?" She laughed through pained breaths, but then regretted it when her head starting pounding again.

"Is.. Did I do this?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tamsin asked, her brows pulled together in confusion.

"You can feel what I feel. That's how you knew I didn't want ..when Bo.." Lauren trailed off.

All she got was a slow nod from Tamsin.

"I may have read up more on your kind recently," Lauren admitted.

"Fuck."

Lauren blinked and licked her lips, determination running through her blood. She removed her hand from Tamsin's chin and straightened her posture before taking several deep breaths.

As Lauren did her deep breathing, Tamsin felt those tendrils of despair slowly wither away, which then alleviated the secondhand pain in her soul and head.

"Holy, fuck, Doc."

"So, that's how you feed?" Lauren inquired. Her eyes flitted across Tamsin's face to assess her attempt.

"It's not usually so painful. I feed from afar and I think much so close is jamming my mealtime," Tamsin smirked. "Hey, it happens, and you, doctor, have probably fed me enough for the week."

Lauren huffed out an amused breath. "Are you always this allusive?"

"Depends, are you always to wound up so tight?"

"Wasn't always." Lauren smiled.

Uncomfortable, Tamsin rolled her eyes playfully and said, "I think that's enough heart-to-heart, don't you think? I have just the thing."

Lauren quirked an eyebrow. "And what would this be, Officer Warwick?"

"Oh, just someone by the name of Jameson. Lovely guy. Gay. Funny. Loved to par-tay. God, those were good times."

"What? I'm not entirely sure-" Lauren started, but she closed her mouth and her face transformed from mild confusion to amusement as Tamsin pulled out a shiny, metal flask.

"Ah," Lauren replied. "Jameson. You carry whiskey often, officer? Isn't drinking in public illegal?" She gave a teasing smile as she gestured toward the object.

"Fuck the public. I hate my fucking job, but, gotta keep the Morrigan happy, yadda yadda yadda. It's bullshit." Tamsin unscrewed the cap and held it out to the doctor. "Ladies first."

"You're a lady, too, if I am not horribly mistaken."

Tamsin snorted and replied, "I meant human ladies first."

"Right." Lauren took the offered flask and swallowed down a few gulps before returning it to Tamsin.

"Hot damn. Straight face and all. You are full of surprises, human."

Lauren shook her head and allowed the warmth of the alcohol to travel down her stomach and into the rest of her body. She smiled and said, "Hmm. My father was a scotch man. I've learned how to appreciate hard liquor in college."

Tamsin put the flask to her mouth and downed several gulps without a grimace. "Well, I just killed the last of the booze. Please tell me you've got some at your place. I really don't want to head to a human only bar."

Lauren blinked at this suggestion. Of course, she did have her own mini alcohol stock, but she was exhausted from the effects of what Bo had done.

"Uh," Lauren swallowed and send an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'm feeling incredibly drained. Rain check?"

Tamsin shrugged, not wanting to show how surprisingly disappointed she felt in response. "Later, human."

"Goodnight, Tamsin."

She remained in the same spot on the sidewalk as she watched Lauren's figure retreat. She watched until she disappeared around one of the building corners, taking comfort in knowing her loft was just a half block away where she would be safe.

"Oh, fucking hell," Tamsin whispered into the air. She liked Lauren, and she just finally let it hit her. "What in Odin's fucktard palace kind of joke is this?"

"Something you wanna share with the class, sweetie?"

Tamsin rolled her eyes despite the sudden sense of dread she felt. Evony always had a knack for showing up at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Hmm. How about no," she replied.

Evony titled her head slightly, "I see you've made friends with the doctor. She's beautiful. Not quite the angle we were hoping you'd go, but she means a great deal to the succubus. Good work."

The Morrigan walked fullcircle around Tamsin, eyeing her for any tells of deception against the Dark Fae. She narrowed her eyes at the blonde before walking away in her all-too-smooth gait.

"Don't keep me waiting too long, dear. I'd hate to waste this life cycle," Evony called out over her back.

This is exactly what she was afraid of - having someone and something to lose that could be used against her.

She was never really likable and loved people even less. The dull ache in each passing heartbeat was new, and she knew it was all because of a Lauren. Like a never ending hammer, dulled in most of its surface but with enough sharp points to make it almost unbearable. The sudden thought of a warm body to distract her was fuel enough to drive her thoughts away from reason and her action's consequences.

So, she concluded to do whatever it took to distract her from her thoughts, from feeling whatever it was she was feeling. What else better than to redirect her frustration onto another body?

She swallowed her discontent and walked to the next human bar, took the hottest girl to the bathroom and tried to fuck the feelings away, but as the girl clenched around her fingers, all she could imagine was having Lauren there instead. Of being inside Lauren instead.

It was a shock when she whispered a word and rested her forehead on the human's shoulder, panting heavily, only to be shoved back.

"It's Angie."

"What?" Tamsin asked. She didn't even care what was coming out of her mouth.

"I said my name is Angie. Not Lauren," the girl uttered. She collected her discarded shirt, pulled her underwear back on, and smoothed out her skirt and left.

Tamsin was left with that lingering ghost of a feeling, like something was missing. Something that pulled in her like gravity, and it felt like she was dying in a way she had never felt before.

Then she knew.

She knew she needed to do whatever she needed to do to get Lauren out of her life to keep her safe. She'd do whatever it took, even if it meant hurting her now rather than giving her a more devastating scenario to deal with later.

..

Lauren walked home with her mind split in two different places.

One on side, she was amused at Tamsin's hardened outlook on life, her tendency to swear like a sailor, and her somewhat charming personality.

The second side, the one more dominant, was the sad realization that she was almost used as food for someone she loved. In the past, she offered her aura as supplement, but it was always in a more romantic setting, a way to express her love. But tonight, Bo almost took someone so sacred to a person's entire being in a cheapened, impulsive manner that had nothing to do with love but everything to do with lust, desire, and a sense of ownership, and it pained her.

She allowed herself to indulge in what she thought was friendly banter with Tamsin with a hint of flirtation that was much like their previous interactions, she noted.

Once she walked into her home, she let her emotions melt and cried on the floor against her front door.

...

The ceiling needed a thorough cleaning. At least, that was what Lauren thought to herself as she lay in her bed.

The Light Fae didn't care how she decorated her loft. In the beginning, she had decided to keep the walls a blaring white and the furniture more practical than pleasing to the eye; she had confidence in her skills and thought she'd have Nadia's cure within the year. One year turned into two, then three. Now she was at the very end of year five with knowledge of Nadia's curse and its origin.

Still enslaved.

Still no Nadia.

A part of her was thankful for those last moments with her first love. The majority of her soul was bitter and furious that she was taken away, again, and that she was incredibly manipulated all along.

But now?

Now she needed to clean the ceiling. She was about to compile a list of the necessary cleaning supplies (like a ladder, for one) but was interrupted by loud knocks at her front door.

She was hoping for stress-induced auditory hallucinations before reality confirmed the visitor with three more knocks.

Lauren threw her duvet across her bed and hurried down the steps and opened the door once she looked through the peephole.

"Lauren," Hale drawled as he left himself in. Lauren stepped aside and bowed her head slightly to show submission.

"Nah, Lauren. We're friends. No need for that," Hale soothed.

"And I'm still enslaved," Lauren stated matter-of-factly.

Hale chuckled and removed his hat. He looked Lauren up and down and said, "You're not in the lab. It's ten and you haven't called. You're never late."

Lauren licked her lips and smiled. "My alarm didn't go off. My apologies. I'll be in shortly." She moved to make her way to her room, but Hale put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, hey. No, it's okay. Listen, I heard about what happened with Bo at the Dal last night. I don't know about what's going on with...all of that.. but you should take a couple of days. Sick time."

"The Light Fae doesn't grant sick time with its subjects, Ash."

"You're not just a subject, Lauren." He said. "Just take a few days. I'll tell Mary to take over."

"Megan."

"What?"

"My intern. Her name is Megan."

"Right. Megan," Hale nodded and showed himself out the door.

"What the hell just happened?" Lauren questioned out loud.

So, for two days Lauren cleaned what parts of the ceiling her new ladder allowed, reorganized her fae herbs and dvds that ranged from Star Trek to Doctor Who to Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. In-between these activities, she both received and deleted texts and calls from Bo and Kenzi. The only other person who called her was Megan, the intern, with questions regarding procedures and general biology questions among different types of Fae. She didn't even know that she was waiting to hear from Tamsin until she internally squealed at the number showing up on her caller id.

"This is Doctor Lewis."

"Knock, knock, doc."

"Pardon?"

A series of knocks echoed through her loft, and she smiled despite herself.

"Thanks for giving me such great notice, Officer Warwick," Lauren quipped.

"Oh, you know, manners and such. Hurry up, these beers are getting heavy and this pizza isn't gonna maintain its heat."

Lauren opened her door with a confused smile and sparkling eyes.

"Do you always just invite yourself everywhere?"

"I just beat people to the invitation. Saves them time," Tamsin replied cheekily as she winked, earning an exaggerated eye roll from Lauren.

Lauren crossed her arms and looked pointedly with a playful glint and said, "I could be vegan, you know. This pizza is drowning in sausage and pepperoni."

"I doubt you could deny yourself something so... delicious," Tamsin responded huskier than she anticipated.

Lauren laughed, slightly caught off guard.

"You got lucky, this time. I tried a vegan diet once, but I think I went through mild withdrawal." Lauren smiled and took a slice. She moaned at the taste and closed her eyes in appreciation. "God, pizza is my vice, I swear. Well, that and Star Trek. Oh! And beer?!"

Tamsin popped the top off of one of her beers. "Just a cheap, American beer that tastes like water, but it's all I found in the station."

"You came right from the station?"

"Hey, you are a breaths away, and you owe me a rain check." Tamsin smiled.

"Is this evidence?" Lauren gasped, playfully.

"Maybe I just 'confiscated' it from some punk high schoolers."

"Hmm. Yes. Protecting the dignity and bashing the fun of innocent children. Modern day hero!" Lauren breathed out in exaggeration while placing a hand over her heart.

"Oh. Riiiight. The children. That's exactly what I was thinking about."

Lauren held her gaze longer than would be comfortable with strangers, and Tamsin felt a part of herself dizzy with want. The fireplace had already been roaring and crackling when she showed up at the front door, but only then did she notice it; she only noticed it reflect off of Lauren's breathtaking shade of brown in her eyes and the way it light her features. Her jawline was enough to ignite a million fantasies, but the way her eyes shimmered was almost too much to take in all at once.

Without thinking, without a care in the entire fucking world, Tamsin took those few steps forward after carefully placing the objects in her hand down, and brought her thumbs up to Lauren's cheeks, slowly tracing the definitions of her cheekbones. She hoped that Lauren would show some sign of mutual ground, and when Lauren did by leaning into her touch, Tamsin cupped her face and brought their lips together.

Lauren hesitated for a second as Tamsin's lips slid against hers in an agonizingly slow fashion, but the few seconds it took to process what was occurring, Tamsin took it as rejection; so, she backed away, her eyes failing to hide her agony.

"Lauren, I-" Tamsin began to explain, but Lauren felt a familiar burn ignite within her body and showed her new found passion by hungrily rejoining their lips.

And, god, Lauren could kiss.

The fae whimpered as the human took control, crashing their lips together in rushed rhythm guided by pent-up desire. They kissed sensuality, tasting each other with vigor and occasionally smiled while they held their foreheads together as they caught their breath.

"What was that?" Lauren asked once she caught her breath.

"Something I've been aching to do for a while now," Tamsin breathed out.

Tamsin leaned toward Lauren again and traced her tongue along the seam of Lauren's lips. She gasped when the human nipped and suckled lightly at her lower lip.

Everything was floating and falling in Tamsin's head and stomach. No one could have prepared her from the rush of emotions that kissing Lauren evoked.

Then she remembered why she came to Lauren's place.

"Lauren, wait, wait wait." She pecked her lips once more and inhaled deeply before opening her eyes. Lauren looked impatient and flustered, which would only make this harder.

"Can't this wait?" Lauren asked, her voice register lower and huskier than normal.

"It will only be worse if we wait."

Lauren stopped as she felt the seriousness in the air. She only nodded and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm Dark Fae, which you already know. And, I've been given a task. One that I am forced to, and it's not my choice. I'm kind of lent out by a higher level Fae," Tamsin explained.

"Go on."

"My job was to bring the descendant in. She's supposed to be powerful and young, and unaligned."

"Bo.." Lauren said, her face contorted in confusion and hurt.

"I wasn't sure it was her. I was hoping it wasn't. I don't want to do this, Lauren."

Lauren said nothing. She only stood still, her eyes welling with tears as she looked at Tamsin with a look she had only given Bo.

"I couldn't do it. I couldn't do that to her, no matter how much of a pain in the ass she is. But, mostly, I couldn't do this to you. I-"

"Is that was...this is all about? The flirting, the banter?" Lauren asked as her voice hardened and face stilled in neutrality.

Tamsin lowered her head, blinked slowly to stop any tears from spilling, and whispered a soft, but unwavering, "No." She looked up at the human who had an expectant look on her face.

"I had always been drawn to you since that night in the bar. A human, without an ounce of fear, sitting in a fae bar as if being three feet from a troll guard was an everyday thing in the modern world," Tamsin said. She took a few steps toward Lauren. As the human stayed still, the valkyrie continued.

"You're confident and as independent as you can be. You smile when you have so many who have wronged you, hurt you," Tamsin whispered. At the last words, she pushed a lock of blonde hair behind Lauren's ear.

"And you're damn beautiful. I feel your hurt but see this amazing, strong women." Tamsin wrapped an arm around Lauren's waist. Lauren's shoulders relaxed and looked into Tamsin's eyes. The sincerity she found was heartbreaking.

"I know I shouldn't, and that it's breaking a few fae laws, but I can't stay away from you. I've tried." Tamsin's breath hitched at the connection buzzing between them, the tension, yet good, hung think in the air. It was suffocating.

"Then don't. We'll talk about Bo later." Lauren said boldy, grabbing the valkyrie by the waist to pull her into a searing hot kiss.

Lauren's soul was on fire. She was on fire in a way she had never felt before. It was so incredibly raw and beautiful. Her heartbeat was everywhere, racing and soaring. All she could think about was how this wasn't enough, could never be enough. She'd always want more. Maybe she was being impulsive herself by relenting to her desires and ignoring the fact that she's committing treason on several different levels. But, she's going to damn well do things for herself for a change, even if for the night.

Tamsin had kissed many people in her lifecycles; she knew many skilled fae. But, something about Lauren made her different entirely. Maybe it was the eager grasps and desperate whimpers as her body undulated against her body as she searched for more skin, more friction.


End file.
